Well, my first full prem game. And lucky me, I get to play in the position I am suited to. I played left half the whole game, and boy, am I knackered.

The result was a disappointing loss: 6-1 to Takapuna. We let in some early goals, which set them up for the rest of the game. But we picked ourselves up and played good strong hockey.

I spent the majority of the game marking the forwards; who kept switching around like crazy. Seeing as they were coming out at us like wildfire, we were very busy at the back, defending.

The boys did themselves proud today, despite the loss. We came back hard and showed our passion and determination. Good on you! I look forward to next week when we play East Coast Bays

Personal Feedback from self:

• Good holding off from the attacker with the ball. I think I did well by directing the attacking players toward the sideline, and corner. I held off, and didn’t dive in for the tackle – too much
• Need to get fit, and work on sprinting. Although it is prem level, I seriously was being outrun on the field today. There were a couple of times I felt like death, but I carried on and tried my best.
• Tackling was good. Quite often I anticipated the direction the attacking player would go, and made the tackle. I was a lot stronger today too, using my body more, and my stick to control the player’s movements.
• Handing off the player I was marking was poor. Will work on this, as it is the first time I have really played with these players and the team.

Low Point

Letting a pass get past my forehand, even though I knew the man I was marking was headed in that direction. The result was that my man received the ball 2m outside the D and had an uncontended shot on the keeper, which was scored

High Point

I can’t say I remember a particular action in the game that was amazing, but I am proud that my tackling was strong and physical.

Look out for more next week