New England talent played a starring role as NSW clean-swept the under-18s silverware at the Australian Indoor Hockey Festival in Goulburn.
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The Blues were a dominant force with the girls side featuring Meg Lye and Lily Neilson thumping Western Australia 7-2 in the gold medal game while the boys side including Jake McCann and Nathan Czinner dispatched of Queensland 6-1.
McCann and Czinner were both stepping up from the under-15s side that blew their rivals away last year, amassing 74 goals for the tournament and conceding just eight.
Both were chief protagonists in the Blues’ dominance, and likewise this year.
Czinner was NSW’s top goalscorer and the second top overall for the tournament with 10 goals. He was lethal from the top of the circle scoring a tournament-topping seven of his 10 goals off penalty corners.
McCann also made the top 10 list with six including a hat-trick in their 14-2 win over Tasmania.
On their way to the final they disposed of Victoria (10-1), Tasmania, Western Australia (4-2), Queensland (9-3), ACT (11-1) and Victoria (6-nil).
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The girls’ closest contests came in their opening two games drawing 2-all with Queensland before pipping Western Australia 4-3. From there their smallest winning margin was three goals, as they defeated Tasmania (10-nil), ACT (6-1), Victoria (7-1) and ACT (4-1) before converting a three goal half-time lead into a five goal triumph.
Lye was one of NSW’s goalscorers i n the final, slotting her second penalty corner for the tournament.
Neilson also won gold last year with under-15s.
The under-21s championships get underway on Saturday. Tamworth’s Isaac Farmilo and Ehren Hazell will suit up for the NSW mens, Abigail Doolan (Tamworth) the NSW women, New England’s Maible Chalmers and Bri Sutton the Tasmanian women and Tahlia Constance (New England) the ACT women.
