Sport

Goulburn Valley sticks to its guns to net representative silver

By Josh Huntly

May 20, 2026

Goulburn Valley Hockey Association's under-18s finished runner-up at the Junior Country Championships. Photo by Andrew Wiseman

Goulburn Valley Hockey Association gave Junior Country Championship glory a fair shake at the weekend, with two representative sides making it to grand finals.

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The under-18 girls, under-16 boys and two under-14 teams made the trip to Melbourne for the 2026 edition of the representative hockey showcase and the top-age maroons made a fierce grab for the title.

After an early stumble to eventual gold medal match opponent Geelong, the Rachelle Collins-coached under-18s won four games on the spin, pipping North Central (1-0), Hamilton (2-1), Ballarat (1-0) and Wimmera (6-0).

Emme Cole (three goals) and Abigail Vaivars (two) spurred the GVHA in attack and onwards to a rematch against Geelong, but it was the south-west rival at Parkville that took gold with a 1-0 win.

The under-14 girls also landed a spot in the decider, lining up against Hockey Central Victoria.

Milly Higgins’ strike was cancelled out by two goals from Central Victoria, but a runner-up finish capped a successful showing that saw the GV go through the group stages – and a 1-0 semi-final win against Geelong – unbeaten.

The under-16 boys narrowly missed out on a medal in a playoff defeat to Central Victoria, while the under-14 boys settled in fifth after defeating Ballarat 5-0.