Greensborough and Camberwell have been hard to separate on the Premier League hockey table this year, and they could not be split in their weekend match-up as the two table toppers fought out a tense draw.
With finals just two weeks away, the top two sides on the table fought out a thrilling 3-3 draw at Matlock Reserve which kept the battle for the finals double chance alive.
Camberwell had the best of the early play, but it was Greensborough which opened the scoring. Nick De Man dove on a loose ball in the seventh minute to get the ball rolling the visitors’ way.
Defence was the order of the day for the rest of the half, with Camberwell enjoying the assured presence of Kookaburra Andy Philpott across their backline once more.
The Burra went into the break with their one goal lead in-tact.
While defence was a priority in the first half, the break seemed to spark both attacks into action and the play opened up with chances aplenty in the second half.
Camberwell got back on level pegging just four minutes after the break, with Jac O’Shea deflecting in a nice cross from Nathan Copey, which opened the floodgates for a five goal half.
Greensborough restored its lead via a well taken penalty corner from Casey Hammond, but it lasted just two minutes as the Wellers streamed down the wing and picked out Stephen Unkles who levelled the scores once more.
Greensborough dominated play through the middle of the half, and when Hammond grabbed his second from a perfectly executed tomahawk they looked the most likely to take the points.
Camberwell had to wait until the 66th minute for their third leveller, with Tom Allan driving home from a penalty corner, and despite two great chances for the hosts in the final seconds of the match the deadlock could not be broken and the sides had to be content with sharing the points.
Camberwell coach Andrew Henderson said his side was feeling good about the looming finals series, despite a less dominant season compared to last year’s premiership year.
“We’re in solid form,” Henderson said. “This year, with a younger group we haven’t been as dominating but we’re still in a good spot. For us it’s coming down to our ability to defend well throughout the game and make the most of our opportunities. The competition is that close that each moment can determine a game or a season.”
Camberwell will face Altona (fifth) and MCC (ninth) in the final two rounds before finals, with just two goals difference separating them from Greensborough on top of the table.
