General News
5 September, 2026
Hockey set for three bumper prelims
Six teams will gather at Dimboola on Saturday to do battle in the preliminary finals for the remaining places in the three Wimmera Hockey Association grand finals, and all three matches could go either way.
Both open-age games feature one team that finished the regular season well ahead of their opponent, but when they take to the pitch on this occasion, what has happened earlier in the season becomes irrelevant, with their chance to play off for the premiership the following week coming down to how they handle the pressure of these four quarters of hockey.
The under 16 match will see one of the most consistent teams across the regular season meet a team peaking at the right time in what could be the closest match of the three.
Head to head in 2026: round 4 – Hoops 3 d Rangers 0, round 8 – Rangers 2 d Hoops 1 (@ Dimboola), round 14 – Rangers 2 d Hoops 0
The battle for the second place in the open grand final is wide open, as although the Warrack Hoops finished in second place on the ladder, two games ahead of the Rangers, the Nhill team has defeated their higher-ranked opponents twice out of their three meetings so far in 2026, including their only meeting at the venue where they will play on Saturday.
The Hoops have a wealth of finals experience in their squad and will welcome back several key players who were missing from their semi-final loss to the Tigers, but the Rangers come into the game with the momentum of what is already their best season in over a decade and have a real chance of qualifying for their first season decider since 1997.
[CROSSHEAD]Women: Dimboola Roos v Kaniva
Head to head in 2026: round 5 – Roos 2 d Kaniva 0 (@ Dimboola), round 10 – Kaniva 2 d Roos 1, round 13 – Roos 2 d Kaniva 0
The Dimboola Roos have been the dominant team in the women’s competition this season and will want to convert that into a premiership.
With the return of a couple of key position players who were unavailable last Saturday, they should earn a spot in the grand final alongside Yanac, but Kaniva will be a worthy adversary. Kaniva was the only team to defeat the Roos during the regular season and has the depth to seriously challenge them again this week, but even at their best, particularly on the Roos’ home turf, they might still come up just short of another victory.
[CROSSHEAD]Under 16 – Kaniva Raiders v Nhill Leopards
Head to head in 2026: round 2 – Leopards 1 d Raiders 0, round 9 – Raiders 4 d Leopards 3 (@ Dimboola), round 15 – Raiders 3 d Leopards 1 (@ Dimboola)
This is one game that could easily go either way.
The Kaniva Raiders made a slow start to their season, only breaking into the top four in round five, but by the end of 15 rounds they had claimed the minor premiership, while the Nhill Leopards have shown more consistency across the whole season and when playing at their best they would deserve a place in the grand final.
Neither result would be an upset, as the Raiders have won both times they have met on the turf at Dimboola this year but the experience of Nhill’s top-age players will probably give them the edge in this one.