With the 2023 JDH Hockey One season at an end, let’s take a look at the stats behind the Perth Thundersticks’ campaign.
GAMES PLAYED
From round one to the grand final, a total of 50 games were played across both the men’s and women’s competitions during the 2023 JDH Hockey One season, 14 of which featured the Perth Thundersticks.
In the Thundersticks’ six men’s games and eight women’s games, a total of 38 players ran out for WA across the men’s and women’s competition throughout the season, with 16 of them not missing a game.
Matt Bird, Jake Harvie, Tom Harvie, Brayden King, Matt Willis, Aran Zalewski, and Ben Rennie featured in all six men’s matches for 2023, while Pippa Morgan, Sarah Byrnes, Georgia Wilson, Shanea Tonkin, Jesse Reid, Liné Malan, Elizabeth Duguid, Annie Gibbs, and Renee Rockliff featured in all six women’s matches for the regular season and two finals matches.
While there were plenty of familiar faces that went around for another season, there were also some new faces in the ranks.
Matt Bird, Anna Roberts, Bellé Ramshaw, Frank Main and Elyssa Melville made their Hockey One debuts in 2023, while the likes of James Day, Jesse Reid and Lexie Pickering competed in their first Hockey One season wearing Thundersticks colours, having previously moved from Canberra Chill, Brisbane Blaze and NSW Pride respectively.
A few familiar faces from the inaugural 2019 Hockey One season also made their return to Hockey One after missing the 2022 season. Those players were Brayden King, Trent Mitton and Pippa Morgan.
Men’s
| Games Played | Player/s | |
| 6 Games | Matt Bird, Jake Harvie, Tom Harvie, Brayden King, Matt Willis, Aran Zalewski, Ben Rennie | |
| 5 Games | Tim Geers, Tom Wickham, James Day, Liam Flynn, James Collins | |
| 4 Games | Will Battistessa, Alistair Murray, Trent Mitton | |
| 3 Games | Brodee Foster, Frank Main, Cam Geddes | |
| 2 Games | Bryn De Bes |
Women’s
| Games Played | Player/s | |
| 8 Games | Pippa Morgan, Sarah Byrnes, Georgia Wilson, Shanea Tonkin, Jesse Reid, Liné Malan, Elizabeth Duguid, Annie Gibbs, Renee Rockliff | |
| 7 Games | Neasa Flynn, Penny Squibb, Rachel Frusher, Lexie Pickering, Georgina Dowd | |
| 5 Games | Karri Somerville | |
| 4 Games | Elyssa Melville | |
| 3 Games | Bellé Ramshaw | |
| 2 Games | Britney Desilva | |
| 1 Game | Anna Roberts |
GOAL SCORING
Throughout the 2023 JDH Hockey One season, a whopping 264 goals were scored across both the men’s and women’s competitions – 119 of them coming from field goals, 53 from field conversions, and 77 from penalty corners.
Amid tight contests throughout the season, the Perth Thundersticks scored a total of 32 goals across both the men’s and women’s competitions – nine of them coming from field goas, four from field conversions and 19 from penalty corners.
Four players within the men’s team hit the scoreboard during the 2023 season – James Day, Tom Wickham, Matt Willis and Aran Zalewski, while Liné Malan, Penny Squibb, Lexie Pickering, Neasa Flynn, Georgina Dowd, Bellé Ramshaw, Britney Desilva and Elyssa Melville all scored goals for the women’s team.
Day and Malan were the Thundersticks’ top goal scorers, racking up six goals each for the season. Day ranked seventh overall in the men’s competition, while Malan placed in equal second overall in the women’s competition, tied with NSW Pride’s Laura Reid.
When it came to penalty corners, the Thundersticks were one of the best, with the men’s team scoring from nine penalty corners – second overall in the competition, while the women’s team scored from 10 penalty corners – the highest of any team.
A number of our goal scorers racked up goals solely from penalty corners. Those players were Day, Squibb, Ramshaw and Zalewski.
Men’s
| Player | Goals Scored | Field Goals | Field Conversions | Penalty Corners | Penalty Strokes | |||||
| James Day | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||||
| Tom Wickham | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Matt Willis | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Aran Zalewski | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Women’s
| Player | Goals Scored | Field Goals | Field Conversions | Penalty Corners | Penalty Strokes | ||||||
| Liné Malan | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| Penny Squibb | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||||
| Lexie Pickering | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Neasa Flynn | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Georgina Dowd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Bellé Ramshaw | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Britney Desilva | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Elyssa Melville | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS
In the midst of successful team efforts throughout the season, a number of Perth Thundersticks players were recognised for their outstanding individual performances.
At the conclusion of each match, those that put on a stand-out performance would be acknowledged as the JDH Player of the Match. Eight Perth Thundersticks players received that acknowledgement.
Those players were James Day, Jesse Reid, Rachel Frusher, Georgia Wilson, Jake Harvie, Elyssa Melville, Lizzy Duguid, and Penny Squibb.
The JDH Hockey One official podcast The Shootout also celebrated the performances of the competition’s athletes, releasing a Team of the Week after each round of the regular season and culminating with its Team of the Year.
Aran Zalewski and Jesse Reid both received the honour of featuring in The Shootout’s Team of the Year, after each of them made three appearances in the Team of the Week.
Other players that were acknowledged in the Team of the Week included James Day, James Collins, Jake Harvie, and Matt Bird for the men’s, and Karri Somerville, Elyssa Melville, Liné Malan, Penny Squibb, Georgia Wilson, Annie Gibbs, Britney Desilva, Rachel Frusher and Neasa Flynn for the women’s.
The Perth Thundersticks head coaches Craig Wilson and Phil Hulbert also each received a nod in the Team of the Week.
Our Perth Thundersticks also produced plenty of highlights, with a number of players featured in Hockey One’s Goals and Saves of the Week throughout the season.
Tom Wickham, Matt Willis, James Day, Penny Squibb, Liné Malan, Elyssa Melville and Neasa Flynn all featured in Hockey One’s Goal of the Week highlights throughout the 2023 season, while our starting goalkeepers Ben Rennie and Lizzy Duguid featured several times each in the Saves of the Week highlights.
As the Perth Thundersticks look forward to 2024, the team would like to thank all of the sponsors, members and supporters that have supported the team in 2023.
