Elite hockey action returns in Women's Premier League season opener

The full Premier League season is underway with the Women's Premier League kicking off alongside the Men's for 2023, with thrilling results across the board.

Suburban Lions opened the 2023 Women’s Premier League season with a dominant 7-1 victory over Curtin University. 

Meg McCaffrey scored a hat-trick for the Lions, while Jolie Sertorio also hit the scoreboard, scoring two of her own to help the Lions to a strong start to the season. 

Following the women’s season opener, the men’s Curtin University side battled with Old Guildfordians Mundaring, with the latter taking home the chocolates in a 3-1 win – the first win for the side in 2023. 

Curtin University’s Quinlan Pace opened the scoring in the 26th minute, but OGMHC’s Brodie Hiskins, Chris Cirello and Liam Woodward all scored goals to secure the three points for their side. 

North Coast Raiders showcased a potent attack, defeating WASPs 8-0 in a dominant outing to open their season at Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University. 

Hockeyroo Shanea Tonkin starred for the Raiders, scoring a hat-trick, while Raiders’ Robin Walsh also scored two to complete the perfect outing in the side’s first hit out of the season. 

Whitford Hockey Club made their return to the Women’s Premier League after seven seasons in the Premier Division 2 and clashed with Reds at the Troy Pickard Hockey Centre. 

Reds ran away with the victory, defeating Whitford 5-1 with Abby Davies starring in attack, scoring four goals in a dominant showing. 

A Grand Final rematch was the highlight of the Men’s Premier League this round, with Melville taking on Reds at their home turf at the Melville Toyota Stadium. 

A blitzing start from Melville including the opening three goals of the match proved to be too much for Reds, with the match finishing in a 3-2 win to Melville – the side now sits in first place on the ladder. 

James Day continues to be a penalty corner specialist, scoring two for the day to take his tally to 6 for the season - equal first in the League alongside Fremantle Cockburn’s Ehren Hazell. 

Another Grand Final rematch was held in the women’s competition, with Hale taking on Westside Wolves in a thrilling contest at Hale Turf. 

Hale scored the first four goals of the match in a blistering start with the match looking all but done but Wolves responded to create a tight contest, scoring the next three of the match. 

The match ended in a 4-3 win to Hale with Wolves just falling short of a comeback in the final moments of the match. 

Hale also secured a victory over Wolves in the men’s match up, winning 3-0 with Liam Flynn, Fred Gray and Sam McCulloch the scorers. 

Whitford have continued a strong start in the men’s competition, battling with Fremantle Cockburn in a 2-2 draw to now sit second on the ladder. 

The Magpies’ Matthew Nelson opened the scoring in the eighth minute but Whitford responded through Fraser Heigh and Josh McRae in the 29th and 35th minutes respectively. 

Fremantle Cockburn snatched points off Whitford late in the piece, with Ehren Hazell continuing his goal scoring form in the 54th minute to end the contest in a draw. 

YMCC recorded their first win in the men’s competition, defeating WASPs 5-3 at Lemnos Field. 

YMCC showcased a prominent attack, with five individual goal scorers – Marshall Puzey, Jacob Anderson, Luke Blee, Jesse Regan, and Michael Nicoli all hitting the scoreboard in the victory. 

The men’s and women’s UWA and Victoria Park sides competed in a double-header at UWA Superturf to round out the weekend’s action. 

UWA recorded their second win of the season in the men’s competition, defeating Victoria Park 3-1, with Harry Golding scoring two for the side. 

In the women’s match, the contest ended in a 2-2 draw, with Victoria Park’s Chloe Buzza and Kayla O’Sullivan scoring, and UWA’s Courtney Schonell and Prada Herron also finding goal in the tight contest 

View the full Men’s and Women’s Premier League scores