Diamonds Suffer First AHL Defeat
The WA Diamonds’ title hopes took a hit in their first cross-over match after losing 1-0 to Queensland at the 2013 AHL in Hobart.
Having reached the cross-over stage undefeated, the Diamonds conceded only their second goal of the campaign, but Steph Kershaw’s 56th minute field goal was enough to earn Queensland a win that puts them in the driving seat for a spot in the weekend final.
WA will face New South Wales tomorrow needing a win to be assured of reaching the gold medal play-off, with a draw being enough for NSW to qualify by virtue of their 3-1 defeat of the ACT, who are the only side in the to four draw, unable to qualify for the final.
The Diamonds were competitive throughout their match with Queensland, but an inability to convert attacking opportunities left them vulnerable at the back, and it proved critical when Kershaw was able to turn in a Queensland move mid way through the second half.
The Diamonds remain a strong threat however, with their blended squad of youth and experience certainly impressing in the tournament to date.
There was less luck for the WA Thundersticks, who have endured a difficult campaign that sees last year’s semi finalists, still without a win in this year’s competition.
With the men’s AHL being staged in Melbourne, the Thundersticks were drawn in the bottom four pool, and lost a free-scoring encounter 4-3 against South Australia.
Trailing 3-0 at half-time, the Thundersticks produced a spirited fightback to level the scores within 15 second half minutes, courtesy of field goals to; Criag Boyne (40m), Matthew Boyce (43m) and Grant Schubert (48m).
Any hopes of a miraculous win however, were dashed in the 51st minute when Glyn Tamlin scored what proved to be the match winning goal for South Australia.
