The Liberty Hockey One League has delivered upsets, emerging heroes and international superstars. The final round offers the last opportunity to book a place in the Road to Hobart Finals Series next weekend.
Here’s your final-round preview for all of the action.
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HC MELBOURNE v TASSIE TIGERS
Friday, 6.30pm AEDT (Women) 8.00pm AEDT (Men)
State Netball and Hockey Centre, Melbourne
The final regular round presents a huge match-up for Tassie and Melbourne, who both have nothing to lose and all to gain in Melbourne on a balmy Victorian evening. Tassie head to the city having qualified for their home Road to Hobart Finals Series, but they’re sitting in third on the standings, equal with the defending champions Brisbane on 17 points. A win over Melbourne would go a long way to finishing the regular season in second place and setting up a more favourable semi-final draw next weekend in Hobart. The Tigers have made one change with Romani Kenworthy coming in for Holly Gilbar while Melbourne welcomes the return of goalkeeper Rachael Lynch for a clash they must win, and by a lot, to have any chance of meeting Tassie in Hobart. They sit in 5th on the standings, five points behind the NSW Pride who also hold a 21-goal differential over HC Melbourne.
A crucial match follows in Melbourne when HC Melbourne takes on the Tassie Tigers in the men’s match. HC Melbourne will be relieved to have secured their place in the finals following last weekend’s win over the Canberra Chill. They remain the only side to have beaten the table-topping chill, pulling out a vital 2-1 win to secure their spot in Hobart. Tassie needs to win on Friday night, in what’s their last chance to qualify for their home finals series. They’re returning from a bye in round six and will be looking to secure their fourth win of the season to make it. They’ve made two changes for the clash, with Pritchard brothers Jack and Oliver out for Alexander Hogan-Jones and Oliver Smith.
FORM
| MEN | FORM | POSITION | LAST RESULT | 2023 PLACE |
| HC Melbourne | W, -, L, W, L, W | 3rd | 2 | 3rd |
| Tassie Tigers | W, L, W, W, L, – | 4th | 1 | 4th |
| WOMEN | FORM | POSITION | LAST RESULT | 2023 PLACE |
| HC Melbourne | W, -, L, L, L, W | 5th | 1 | 5th |
| Tassie Tigers | L, L, W, W, W, – | 3rd | 0 | 7th |
BRISBANE BLAZE v ADELAIDE FIRE
Saturday, 5.00pm AEDT (Women) 6.30pm AEDT (Men)
Queensland State Hockey Centre
The defending champions have one more game in hand to warm up for their title defence on the Road to Hobart Finals Series, with a home game against Adelaide. The Blaze recorded just their second loss of the season in a nail-biting pre-Finals clash against the unbeaten Perth Thundersticks in WA last weekend. Ending in a 6-6 (4-5) shootout loss was a massive result as they look to rest players and continue to build in the finals home run. Renee Taylor returns to the lineup while Hockeyroos star Claire Colwill sits out the match. The Adelaide Fire face one more tough outing for their Liberty Hockey One League season with a tough match against the Blaze.
The Brisbane Blaze men face a vital huge win in their last match at home. They’ve had to win all of their remaining games to stand a fighting chance of making the finals, and their convincing 5-2 win over the Perth Thundersticks certainly helped their cause last weekend. Sitting in fifth on the standings, they need a big win over Adelaide, and they need Tasmania to lose their game against Melbourne to have a shot at defending their title in Hobart. Adelaide will start the match unchanged, while Brisbane has lost Kookaburra Daniel Beale and Kyle Imer for the vital clash.
| MEN | FORM | POSITION | LAST RESULT | 2023 PLACE |
| Brisbane Blaze | -, L, L, L, W, W | 5th | 10 | 1st |
| Adelaide Fire | L, L, L, L, -, W | 7th | 2 | 5th |
| WOMEN | FORM | POSITION | LAST RESULT | 2023 PLACE |
| Brisbane Blaze | -, W, W, L, W, L | 2nd | 4 | 1st |
| Adelaide Fire | L, L, L, L, -, L | 7th | 0 | 6th |
NSW PRIDE v CANBERRA CHILL
Sunday, 1.00pm AEDT (Women) 2.30pm AEDT (Men)
Goulburn Hockey Complex, NSW
A dominant 8-0 win over the Adelaide Fire last weekend has seen the NSW Pride just one win away from securing the final spot up for grabs in the finals of the women’s competition. This weekend, the crucial clash heads to Goulburn, a hockey-loving country region who will pack out the Complex as their team fights to make the finals. Hockeyroos goalkeeper Jocelyn Bartram will make way for Zoe Newman this week while Emma Scriven and Chloe Holmes re-join the side for Kendelle Tait and Ella Carr. Canberra remain unchanged for the second week running after their narrow 3-2 loss to HC Melbourne last weekend.
It’s been a tough season for the NSW Pride men’s team who sit in 6th on the ladder following their third straight loss last weekend. Now out of contention for a finals berth, they face their last remaining test of the Liberty Hockey One League season Canberra, who remain on top of the table despite last week’s 1-2 loss to Melbourne. Bouncing back from their first loss of the season, Canberra will be looking to return to their winning ways and carry momentum into the finals in Hobart. They’ve made one change for the clash with Oscar Smart in for their French international signing Theophile Ponthieu.
| MEN | FORM | POSITION | LAST RESULT | 2023 PLACE |
| NSW Pride | L, W, -, L, L, L | 6th | 3 | 2nd |
| Canberra Chill | W, W, W, -, W, L | 1st | 2 | 7th |
| WOMEN | FORM | POSITION | LAST RESULT | 2023 PLACE |
| NSW Pride | W, L, -, W, L, W | 4th | 1 | 4th |
| Canberra Chill | L, W, L, -, L, L | 6th | 4 | 2nd |