Flames and Kiwis endured mixed starts to their premiership defences as the Tamworth first grade men's and women's competitions hit off on the weekend.
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Kiwis had a good win over Tudor Wests in their men's clash on Saturday but Flames were pipped by South United 3-2 in the last of the women's matches on Sunday.
Preceding that Services beat Olympians 4-1 and Tudors outgunned Waratahs 5-nil.
Runners-up to Flames last season, Tudors coach Helen Willis said the players are really driven to get another shot at the grand final.
"They've all got a taste for it," she said.
For many of them it was their first experience playing in the finale with their 1998 triumph the last time anyone in the club can remember making the first grade grand final.
Willis spoke about building on what they did last year.
One of the big things they learnt was that they "could come back". If they went down by one or two goals, they had that "belief" that they could pull those back.
![Sarah Bird looks to work her way around the Waratahs defence. Picture by Peter Hardin Sarah Bird looks to work her way around the Waratahs defence. Picture by Peter Hardin](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ingYyB85ps4jmG9t8mfsHP/4436cd69-1e12-4684-8b44-f5f45fe29bcc.jpg/r0_187_2493_1847_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
They have lost Charlotte Portell, Eden Black, Georgia Horniman and Maeve Galvin, but do have Nat Willis and Chloe Walker back.
The latter hasn't played for four years and was one of their goalscorers on Sunday with a cracking goal. From Willis' recollection it rebounded off the keeper and she cracked it in mid-air.
Amy Luckett has stepped up to take Galvin's place in goal while Mackenzie Scott and Lauren Vella have been brought up as a permanent part of the first grade squad.
Typical of the first game of the season, Sunday "was a bit scrappy" but all things considered Willis was pretty happy.
"Defensively we were pretty good and then we just took our opportunities up front," she said.
Kiwis also kept a clean sheet in their win, thumping Tudors 6-nil.
But coach Lindsay Burrows wasn't taking too much from the result.
Both sides were, he acknowledged, missing players with other commitments, as a lot of sides were across the whole competition. Everyone is also "rusty" that first game of the season.
"But it was really good to have hockey starting again," he said.
Last year breaking through for their first men's first grade title since 2017, they have lost a couple of players from that side. Tim Hardy has moved back down to Canberra while Josh Worpel and Matt Johnston aren't planning to play this season.
"But we've got some young players who can step up and it's their role now as the younger players coming through in the club to take on those positions and earn their spot," Burrows said.
Jack Marshall, Blake Scicluna, Hayden Constable and keeper Sam Griffith are a few of the 'young players' he expects to play a more prominent role this season.
Underneath those they've also got "some really good juniors" who he expects to get some minutes this year "and do really well."
"It will be a good year. We'll still have a really competitive team, just not the same team as last year," he said.
In the other game Workies, aided by cameos from Ehren Hazell and Isaac Farmilo, beat South United 5-2.