The Hockey Victoria Junior State Championships, held from July 1 to July 4, proved to be an enjoyable and successful tournament for the Western Wildcats teams.
Teams are selected from across the state to represent 7 Metropolitan and 5 Regional Zones. Players in the Western Wildcats teams come from Altona Hockey Club, Footscray Hockey Club, Werribee Hockey Club and the Geelong Hockey Association. Competitions are available for U13 Boys and Girls, U15 Boys and Girls and U18 Boys and Girls. Matches were played in Shepparton and Bendigo.
- U13 Boys – Charlie White, Ashton Schram
- U13 Girls – Aimee Van der Meer, Amelia Shell, Anya Dreyer, Elliott Thomson, Bella Bradbury, Macy Kooloos, Mai Lorenzen (Captain), Matilda Gordon, Ruby Moon, Zoey Sykes (Vice Captain)
- U15 Boys – Alex Cannard, Charlie Watson, Kyan Downie, Luke Cannard, Tucker Kooloos, Bradley Pasque
- U15 Boys – Red Devils – Jye Walters
- U15 Girls – Charlotte Armstead
- U18 Boys – Brayden Caldow, Declan Zele, Harrison Leigh, Isaac Timms, Jesse Allthorpe, Kade Leigh, Phillip Dreyer, Sam Robson
- U18 Girls – Charley Russell, Fionn Zele, Kahlua Smart
The U13 Girls team was coached by Geelong members, Darren Bradbury and Chris Lorenzen, and managed by Rachel Moon.
- U13 Girls – Bronze medal winners with a 3-0 win against Southern Metro Sharks, including a goal scored after the siren.
- U13 Boys – 5th place with a 4-0 win vs North East Knights, total 3 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses.
- U15 Boys – Gold Medal winners, 1-1 at half time vs Southern Sharks but finishing strongly to take the game and the medal 3-1
- U15 Girls – 8th place 0-1 vs North West Tigers, including 3 draws and 1 win for the Tournament.
- U18 Boys – Gold Medal winners – 6-5 vs Central Flames, coming from 3-4 down at half time.
- U18 Girls – 8th place 2-3 vs Gippsland Bulls, with 1 win and 1 draw.
Congratulations to all the players and officials who participated. The players represented themselves and Geelong, in a very sportsman like manner and can be very proud of their efforts.
