General News
3 June, 2026
Tigers' streak ends after 74 games
The Yanac Tigers’ impressive undefeated run came to an end on Saturday evening, concluding the latest round of matches in the Wimmera hockey season, which also saw the Horsham Hurricanes register their first win for the season and Yanac record a big win to keep pace with the Dimboola Roos at the top of the women’s ladder.
The end of this round also marked the point at which each opponent had been played once, providing an accurate indication of where each team sits among their peers and showing coaches and players what they need to work on in their quest for a place in the finals later in the season.
Open
In the latest chapter of their long-running rivalry, the Warrack Hoops became the first team in more than six years to defeat the Tigers, ending a 74-game winning streak.
Although the reigning premiers started the game without several regular players, this did not diminish the intensity, with both teams applying pressure right from the start.
The Hoops opened the scoring midway through the first quarter by converting a penalty corner, and they still held this lead by half-time despite some of the usual high-quality hockey that local followers of the game have come to expect when these two teams meet.
The margin was extended to two goals in the third quarter after another successful penalty corner but, as many teams have experienced over the years, the Tigers are never beaten until the final whistle sounds.
They bounced back with a goal of their own early in the last period of play, and in the face of some high-pressure play from both sides, the Hoops held off the challenge to record a historic win.
At the end of this round, the Hoops are now on top of the ladder, two points ahead of the Tigers, who are four points ahead of the Kaniva Cobras, the team that had the bye this weekend.
The other open match saw the Horsham Hurricanes field their strongest team so far this season as they took on the Nhill Rangers in a tussle between two teams yet to taste victory.
Despite this, both had posed serious challenges to higher-ranked teams over the first four rounds, and they put on a captivating display of hockey.
The Rangers had the better of the first two quarters on the field, earning the only five penalty corners of the first half, but solid Horsham defence prevented any scoring, but when the whistle blew to signal the start of the long break, it was the Hurricanes who had earned the lead courtesy of a goal within seconds of the end of the quarter.
They had increased this to a three-goal lead early in the last quarter before the Rangers scored to keep themselves in the game.
Horsham sealed the win with their fourth goal late in the last quarter, and they have now moved into fourth place on the ladder, leap-frogging the Rangers, who are two points behind in fifth.
Women
On Friday evening the opening game of the round in the women’s competition saw Dimboola Roos hold off a solid challenge from Kaniva.
A two-goal second quarter by the Roos was the difference in an otherwise even match where they did more of the attacking, but the Kaniva defenders were up to almost everything thrown at them, and equally efficient defence at the other end of the ground kept Kaniva off the scoreboard.
This result has kept the Roos undefeated at the top of the ladder and shown that the third-placed Kaniva still has some work to do if they are to seriously challenge the top two.
Yanac boosted their goal difference with a double-figure victory margin over Warracknabeal and remain locked together with Dimboola at the top of the ladder.
Both now have 18 points and a goal difference of 23, but the Roos are ahead courtesy of a superior percentage.
The fourth-placed Nhill Thunderbirds earned some breathing space ahead of the fifth-placed Horsham Jets with a comfortable victory.
The ’Birds had scored three goals before the Jets got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter, and scored another in the last period of play to set the final margin at four goals to one.
Under 16
The highlight in the under 16s was the tussle between the top two teams, when the Warrack Revengers took on the Yanac Warriors.
After a very even match, the Revengers were victorious by just one goal, and they are now on top of the ladder with four wins, just ahead of three teams with three wins each.
This next group of teams includes the Warriors, the Nhill Leopards, who defeated the Horsham Bombers by six goals, and the Kaniva Raiders, who climbed into the top four with a narrow two-goal-to-one victory on Friday evening against the Dimboola Kangaroos, who are now just one win outside the top four.
This weekend, there are no matches scheduled in the local competition as three representative teams from the Wimmera will travel to Bendigo for the Victorian Senior Country Championships.
Local teams will play in the open and women’s divisions and, for the first time, in the women’s masters.
Round five results
Open: Horsham Hurricanes 4 (goals F Callen 3, E Weaver; best F Callen, T Batchelor, J Hawke) d Nhill Rangers 1 (goal L Mills; Best L Mills, S Bone, J Knoll); Warrack Hoops 2 (goals C Baldock, E Schilling; best B Williamson, S Schultz, H Wagenknecht) d Yanac Tigers 1 (goal T Alexander; best B Alexander, T Alexander, H Pedie); bye Kaniva Cobras
Ladder: Warrack Hoops 16 points (goal difference 5), Yanac Tigers 14 (9), Kaniva Cobras 10 (1), Horsham Hurricanes 6 (-7), Nhill Rangers 4 (-8)
Women: Nhill Thunderbirds 4 (goals B Cannell 2, R Clark, C Rowe; best C Rowe, B Clark, K Clark) d Horsham Jets 1 (goal H Di Petro; best J Mackereth, L Schilling, S O’Connor); Yanac 12 (goals M Mackley 5, C Alexander 2, A Farmers 2, E Alexander, S Hedt, T Rethus; best E Alexander, S Chittick, M Mackley) d Warracknabeal 0 (best E Williamson, E Ward, J Boyd); Dimboola Roos 2 (goals K Marlow, A Rintoule; best B McMaster, T Clark, A Rintoule) d Kaniva Women 0 (best I Dickinson, O Diment, N Hutchins, L Stimson)
Ladder: Dimboola Roos 18 points (goal difference 23) percentage 1250, Yanac Women 18 (23) 867, Kaniva Women 12 (4) 167, Nhill Thunderbirds 8 (4) 129, Horsham Jets 4 (-9) 44, Warrack Women 0 (-45) 0
Under 16: Nhill Leopards 6 (goals B Clark 2, B Cannell 2, M Sardhara, D Bee; Best D Bee, B Clark, B Cannell) d Horsham Bombers 0 (best J Luy, M Taylor-Carmen, H Di Pietro, R Hobbs); Warrack Revengers 1 (goal S Williamson; best S Williamson, M Bentley, M Peters) d Yanac Warriors 0 (best A Zanker, L Dickinson, A Pedie); Kaniva Raiders 2 (goals J Beattie 2; best L Williams, D Stimson, J Beattie) d Dimboola Kangaroos 1 (goal R Williams; best R Williams, R Hadzig, C Elliott)
Ladder: Warrack Revengers 16 points (goal difference 5), Yanac Warriors 12 (8), Nhill Leopards 12 (7), Kaniva Raiders 12 (-3), Dimboola Kangaroos 8 (-3), Horsham Bombers 0 (-14)
Development program
Horsham Black Hawks 2 (goals J Porter 2) v Nhill Bandits 4 (goals A Colbert, A Marra, L Sutherland, S Bee); Warrack Avengers 0 v Yanac Lowan Stars 6 (goals A Cramer 2, C Alexander, E Alexander, M Campbell, G Higgins); Dimboola Kangaroos 0 v Kaniva Rampagers 2 (goals A Curtis, A Beattie)