17 March 2025
ADF hockey players punched above their weight in Defence’s first appearance at the Tiger Turf Cup.
Despite having trained for only two hours together, flashes of brilliance propelled them into the finals.
The Queensland ADF men opened strong with a 2-0 win over Mudgeeraba in the first game of the tournament, held in Brisbane from February 22-23.
ADF lost the next two games, including to the powerhouse Easts Hockey Club, which featured ex-Kookaburra Australian representative players.
Shrugging off the losses, ADF bounced back with a 2-2 draw against Ryde 2 to secure a spot in the cup quarterfinals.
A tough loss in the quarters saw them fall out of cup contention, but they qualified to play in the Tiger Plate semifinals.
They faced off against Ryde 2 again and a diving redirect goal from team captain Corporal Matthew Robertson was enough to win the game 1-0.
'It was a great opportunity for the ADF to reach out in the hockey community.'
In the final, ADF again started strong, scoring the first goal, but ultimately fell short to Kedron/Waverly in a tight 1-2 loss.
It was the first time ADF had entered a team into the competition, which features nine-a-side teams instead of the usual 11, with two players required to stay in the attacking zone.
More field space opened opportunities for offence, which was perfect for attacking midfielders such as Leading Aircraftman Lachlan Brown.
“There’s a lot of area to get the ball and really excel in my passing,” Leading Aircraftman Brown said.
“I enjoy going forward, seeing where the attackers are and giving them the ball, then following up to be an option to pass back and have another shot.”
Regardless of the result, he said the opportunity to shake off the cobwebs and play together before the ADF Hockey Combines was invaluable.
“I’m really proud of the way we all worked when we were out there. For us to walk away with second place in that silver plate, in our first year, was pretty crazy,” Leading Aircraftman Brown said.
“I also think it was a great opportunity for the ADF to reach out in the hockey community. We had multiple people come around who hadn’t played before.”
Given the extra space, defenders had to put in extra effort, according to goalkeeper Lieutenant Harrison Howarth.
“I was running around a lot, that’s for sure,” Lieutenant Howarth said.
“I got a lot of action, so did the other goalkeepers that came away. There wasn’t really a dull moment for most of the games and it definitely kept us on our toes.”
The competition was a good pre-season warm-up for Lieutenant Howarth, who was preparing for an international tour with the Australian Country squad later this year.
'There wasn’t really a dull moment for most of the games and it definitely kept us on our toes.'
He said after 13 years of playing hockey, playing for Australia was a dream come true.
“It’s all about national pride, the same reason why I’m working for Defence. I want to do something for the nation, for other people, not just myself,” Lieutenant Howarth said.
ADF players only had a two-hour training session the day before competition, but many had played together previously so it wasn’t hard to find a dynamic, Corporal Robertson said.
“The team we put together didn't necessarily know each other or have played together, so we showed what we are capable of,” he said.
“It was nice to get some wins under us and not just be the team that got smoked by everyone.”
