WAIS Girls Guide Diamonds to AHL Threepeat

Published On: 7 April 2008

The Smokefree WA Diamonds have claimed a third consecutive AHL title, after a gripping 2-0 win over the Queensland Scorchers on Saturday.  

Kim Walker Goals to Hope Munro (50m) and Emily Halliday (65m) clinched the trophy over a spirited and highly competitive Scorchers side, which have now been relegated to runners up in each of the Diamonds success.

The Diamonds squad contains WAIS athletes:
Kim Walker, Hope Munro, Kate Denning, Shelly Liddelow, Jayde Taylor, Lisa Pamenter, Emily Halliday, Chantelle Ciallella, Ashleigh Nelson, Kobie McGurk, Jemma Buckley, Fiona Boyce and Development squad member Kia Mansell.

The Diamonds had made a slow start to the tournament after suffering a 1-0 loss to NSW, but then bounced through the rest of the competition undefeated to stamp their authority over the AHL competition.

One of the key components to the Diamonds success was an unnerving ability to perform under pressure. In its semi-final win over the ACT, the Diamonds needed to find a late equaliser to force extra-time. The girls then held firm to record a golden goal and book their passage to Saturday’s final.

Queensland earned a shot at the title after it defeated NSW in the other semi-final, but were again vanquished by WA, which appears to hold a mental edge over their East Coast rivals.

There were jubilant scenes after the final whistle, with the trophy lifted by Captain Kim Walker, marking the culmination of months of preparation and training.

Western Australia is currently enjoying a golden generation in both Men’s and Women’s hockey. The Diamonds’ success follows on from the title won by the WA Thundersticks just a month prior.

The timing couldn’t be better with the Olympic Games on the horizon. WA could well be boasting an Olympic medal in Beijing.