The Brisbane Blaze have reclaimed the women’s Hockey One crown and denied the Canberra Chill a home title in an exciting encounter at the National Hockey Centre in Lyneham on Sunday.
Blaze striker Dayle Dolkens broke a 1-1 deadlock just four minutes from time, before teammate Savannah Fitzpatrick added two late goals to cap a 4-1 win.
The goals were probably deserved for a Brisbane side that controlled proceedings and won the penalty corners 7-2, although the courageous Chill wouldn’t roll over on home turf.
It’s the Blaze’s second Hockey One title in the competition’s three seasons, with stalwart Rosie Malone declaring the result vindication for the group’s hard work throughout the campaign.
“I’m really proud of the group,” she told AAP. “This is all about how you build towards the end of a tournament.
“We’ve got so many talented players in Queensland and it’s really special to see all the girls who are home in our state all the time training, and all of our national players coming back and putting something on the park where we can win at this level.
“We knew from the get-go playing against Canberra, they’re a team that never gives up and they played with a lot of heart. It was a grind out there.”
The cagey encounter had all the hallmarks of a final, with chances particularly hard to come by until late.
After surviving some minor scares in the opening term, the Chill turned things up a notch with some slick passing in the second and found the game’s first goal.
From a hard-earned penalty corner, a perfect drag across the goal ended with Katie Mullan at the back post for the simplest of finishes.
Desperation started to creep in for the Blaze trailing 1-0 in the third, but it paid off with an ambitious swipe from distance deflected home by Britt Wilkinson to tie things up.
But Dolkens’ game-breaker, poking the ball home after a goal-mouth scramble, proved the match’s decisive play.
Brisbane topped the regular season ladder but never had an easy time in the finals, needing penalties to get through their semi-final against Perth.
Malone’s presence in the final was in serious doubt on Saturday night, after she suffered a broken nose in the semi when struck by the ball.
The 95-cap Hockeyroo said her love for the Blaze meant she never considered sitting out.
“Breaking your nose isn’t ideal, but as soon as the bleeding stopped, I was like, ‘OK, I’m good to go back on’,” she said.
“My medical team really helped me get back out there today. I’m probably going to have a good old rest now and probably have surgery on my nose, but it was all worth it.”
Earlier, Perth claimed third place with a 2-1 against the NSW Pride.
By Alex Mitchell in Canberra
