Hockey: Flames ready to hit the pitch for 2022 women's first grade season

They didn't drop a game en route to the minor premiership, COVID unfortunately scuppering their hopes of any more than that. It followed an almost undefeated COVID-shortened campaign the previous year, just falling at the final hurdle.

Ahead of their opener against Tudor Wests on Sunday, returning coach Barrie Pritchard conceded he doesn't anticipate them being as dominant as they have been in the last two seasons.

They are "a different team" with a few of their key cogs not suiting up this season.

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"Kim Resch and Kate Ferguson are not playing," he said. There's a few others he's not sure about either.

It is a bit of a case of "wait and see" at this stage.

"From our point of view I'd like to see the first three or four rounds to see how we're situated.

"See what we've got and haven't got," he said.

Going into his ninth season in charge of the side, Pritchard highlighted Claudia Rodda and Grace Collins as a couple of players who he is looking to play a bit more of a prominent role this season. Both have been part of the first grade side for a couple of years now.

Flames and Tudors will be the first sides to hit the pitch this season with their game at 9am. Services and Olympians then follow at 10.30am before Waratahs and Souths round out the opening round from 12pm.

The second, third and fourth grade women's competitions also hit off over the weekend, following on from the men's third grade a couple of weeks ago.

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The first and second grade men officially start next weekend after another round of trial games this weekend.

Tamworth Hockey Association president Ross Briggs is looking forward to a good season.

It is shaping up to be a busy and big one with three major carnivals to fit in around the various local competitions.

On top of the York Cup and Kim Small Shield, Tamworth will play host to the combined NSW PSSA hockey championships.

In what will be a first, the boys and girls carnivals will both be held in the same place at the same time. Tamworth will also be holding the primary boys and girls basketball championships that week.

Perhaps the jewel in the crown though is the men's open state championships on the June long weekend.

Bringing the best players from around the state together, Briggs indicated Tamworth could potentially enter three teams such as been the interest from players past and present.

He said a lot of the open men are "jumping at the bit" to be involved.

"There's been a lot of interest from ex-locals to come back and represent Tamworth so we should have some pretty strong sides," he said.

As far as the competitions he said numbers are shaping up to be similar to last year.

"Down from pre-COVID numbers but I think people are still a little bit uncertain about whether there will be a full season and holding out to see," he said.

He is confident they will get through a full season, potentially to finish with a 'grand final day'.

Rather than stage the junior and senior grand finals over essentially three days (the third grade women play on Friday night) the association has floated the idea of playing them all on the one day.

"Have everything together, juniors all the way through and try and make it a big event," Briggs said.

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