Congratulations to our Geelong representative teams for their outstanding performance at the 2026 Junior Country Championships.
Last weekend, our Geelong U14 boys, U14 girls, U16 boys, U16 girls and U18 girls competed in the Hockey Victoria Junior Country Championships (JCC).
45 junior teams travelled from across 9 regional hockey associations to compete at 3 venues for a two day hockey carnival, bringing together the best junior players from country Victoria.
It just wouldn’t be the JCC without extremes of weather. From warm sunshine on Saturday to soaking rain on Sunday. All 5 of our junior representative teams did not lose a single game in the pool matches played on Saturday with 14 wins and 2 draws. An amazing outcome that our whole association should be proud of. Our junior teams were outstanding, both on and off the pitch, with their competitiveness, fair play and respectful behaviour.
After an outstanding performance on Saturday, all 5 teams qualified for the finals in their respective age divisions.
Congratulations to our U14 boys and U14 girls teams who progressed through to play-off finals for 3rd place. The boys achieved a 3rd place victory and the girls finished 4th overall, beaten by the slimmest of margins in their final game.
Our U16 boys, U16 girls and U18 girls all progressed to the grand final, with each team’s defence keeping their opposition scoreless, allowing them to bring home 3 GOLD medals.
Congratulations also to our amazing, volunteer team managers and coaches who supported our teams to be able to achieve their very best, to learn and to consolidate that over the weekend.
There has been nothing less than positive feedback from both players and families around the JCC weekend. It is such a fun tournament and a great opportunity for our junior hockey players and families to build friendships across all of the clubs in our local competition.
Special thanks also to Carly Storr and Andrea Van Der Meer for coordinating uniform distribution. Thanks to Kane Maloney, Racheal Frost and Mark Suntjens for their administrative assistance.
JCC wrap up article is available on the Hockey Victoria website 2026 JCC Wrap UP
Look out for professional photos from the JCC on the Hockey Victoria Facebook page, later in the week.
You can find all the results, ladders and a whole heap more on the JCC website, please click here
If you want to replay any of the action from Greensborough or Parkville, check out LIVEHockey LIVEHockey 2026 JCC (Event pass available for $6 – $11)
My personal thanks to everyone for your enthusiasm, support and dedication to junior hockey in bringing together our JCC teams in 2026.
I also wish to acknowledge the support of Graeme Dent, Nette Willaims, Gillian Armstead, the GHA committee and the HG Sharks committee for your support over the last 5 years of JCC organisation.
Gavin Van Der Meer
JCC coordinator.
U18 Girls – GOLD MEDAL defeated Goulburn Valley 1 – 0
Coach: Tammy Hansford Team Manager: Rachel Moon Assistant: Gavin Van Der Meer
Aimee Van Der Meer, Hanna Wilkinson, Ruby Moon, Ella Morgan, Elliott Thomson, Ava Doolan, Winter Zumpe, Anya Dreyer, Kashvi Shetty, Alexis Smart, Charlotte Cleeland, Livinia Walsh, Amelia Shell, Chloe Laidlaw
Congratulations to Tammy Hansford and the Geelong U18 girls on their undefeated performance in the 2026 JCC.
5 pool match wins and one final. The team scored 17 goals and conceded just 1 goal for the weekend. An amazing example of team hockey, with a balance of offensive creativity, defensive strength, fearless PC defence and elite goal keeping (especially in the wet).
U16 Girls – GOLD MEDAL defeated Hamilton 2 – 0
Coaches: Lyndal Reading and Chris Madner Team Manager: Kayne Richens
Amber Steiner, Matilda Morgan, Binuli Yasara Katuwawala, Jess Richens, Grace Harper, Lucy Anderson, Ivy Renouf, Elizabeth Cuzner, Pollyanna Smith, Scarlett Madner, Kirra Condon, Olivia Cromb, Abigail Paredes,
Amazing results for the U16 girls against some tough competition in Greensborough. 5 wins and 1 draw in the pool matches saw the U16 girls finish on top of their competition ladder, leading into the final showdown and a 2 – 0 win against Hamilton.
19 goals scored and just 4 goals conceded, these girls were able to keep their opposition scoreless in 5 of their games over the two days.
These incredible team results in the U18 and U16 girls competitions are an exciting preview to a very bright future for Women’s hockey in Geelong.
U16 Boys – GOLD MEDAL defeated West Gippsland 1 – 0
Coach: Kurt Wingert Team Manager: Yvette Wingert Assistant: Brooke Arnold
Oscar Smith, Bailey Young, Markus Kelly, Frederick Milne, Cooper Davies, Archer Chappell, Liam Dargue, Jacob Dargue, Oliver Lockhart, Owen Bourne, Zac Wingert, Jacob Young, Charlie Maloney, Will Burch, Noah Arnold (inj)
More high-quality hockey in Greensborough for the U16 boys. The competition was tough with a number of very strong goal keepers. The Geelong boys delivered on Kurt’s directions from the start of the tournament with fast, wide ball movement. It was clear that this was executed during matches with many good passages of play right across the weekend. The boys were undefeated in their 3 pool matches before a cross-over semi-final win, taking them to a Gold medal showdown with West Gippsland. Strong opposition challenged the boys until a late second half goal put them in front. 14 goals for the boys with just 3 scored against them.
A very solid weekend and a clean sweep for Geelong in the U16 competition at Greensborough.
U14 Boys – 3rd place defeated North Central (White) 5 – 1
Coach: Andrew Smith Team Manager: Winsome Batchelor Assistants: Hayden Francis / Brad Millar
Stetson Edgar, Ved Shetty, Mitchell Davies, Joey Batchelor, Darcy Condon, Henry Collis, Patrick Connor, Lucas Young, Jude Shrimpton, Jack Francis, Noah Smith, Addis Smith, Liam Millar, Gus Grillis, Sidak Wahla,
A flurry of goals in their final placing playoff match saw the U14 boys secure 3rd place overall for the JCC weekend in Essendon with a 5 – 1 victory over North Central (White). The U14 boys played strong hockey for 4 straight wins in their pool matches, which was a creditable result for such a young U14 squad. 5 wins and just one loss for the weekend in their semi-final. 15 goals scored over 6 matches. A great result for these boys who will be keenly looking forward to JCC 2027.
U14 GIRLS – 4th place 0 – 1 v North Central
Coaches: Sarah Storen and Tony Cuzner Team Manager: Kate Collis
Chelsea O’Loan, Harriet McKay, Anina Kelly, Ruby Smith, Rosie Smith, Alexandra Collis, Eva Hunt, Paige Taylor-Cole, Victoria Cuzner, Harriet Seelenmeyer, Maggie Shearer, Matilda McGree, Indi McLean, Zara McLean, Mia Cherry,
Two wins from the opening two pool matches plus a draw in their third match on day one, without conceding a single goal, saw this young U14 girls team set themselves up for a run at the finals on Sunday and a chance to play at the State Hockey Centre for the first time for many of them. A loss on Sunday morning had them second in their competition pool and off to the cross-over finals. Conceding just 1 goal in each of their 2 final matches saw the U14 girls finish 4th overall, out of the 9 teams in their competition. A commendable outcome for these young athletes who will be back for more JCC success in 2027 and beyond.
