By Tara Murray
Caroline Springs couldn’t ask for a better way to enter Hockey Victoria’s men’s Metro A north west finals.
Playing finals for the first time, the Springers warmed up with an emphatic 16-0 win against Essendon on Saturday.
Springers coach David Gorton said while they were battling a few injuries, it didn’t show in the performance.
“We absolutely dominated,” he said.
“We have demonstrated that when we are on our game, we can put any team to the sword.
“We just have to make that we can do it against the established teams.”
Ben Toogood was the star for the Springers, scoring four goals in the win and he leads the competition’s goalscoring.
Gorton said this season, only the second year the club has been around, had exceeded all expectations.
As well as having the best scorer, the Springers have the second tightest defence.
Both Springers men’s sides will play finals, a long way from last season when their one men’s side struggled.
Gorton said not only were they hoping to go as far as they could in finals, but they wanted to make a good impression to hopefully step up grades.
“We are looking at having both A and B going as far as we can,” he said.
“It’s a considerable achievement for both sides to make finals. We want to be a credible unit and want to join the women in state league.
“Whether its finals or a grand final we want to show we belong in the big league.
“We will have a full squad for both sides for finals. We have no issue interchanging players, it’s been a strength of ours all season with our depth.”
The metro B west side had a 3-2 loss to Altona in the final round. They finished the regular season in third and will play Altona again in a knockout semi-final.
The Springers women’s teams will also feature in finals action.
The Vic League 2 side had a bye in the final round, so will enter the finals fresh. They finished the regular season in second and will play MHSOB for a spot in the grand final, having secured the double chance.
The Springers second women’s side has claimed the minor premiership for a second straight year, this time in metro B west.
They will play RMIT for a spot in the grand final.
