Premier League Round 1 Review

Published Tue 24 Mar 2026

The Men’s Premier League season got underway just as the previous one ended, with University accounting for North West Graduates. In the rematch of last year's thrilling decider, University stormed away in the second half to claim a 5-2 victory, with star youngster and Australian youth representative, Oscar Sproule, scoring twice from penalty corners in the first half. The game was in the balance at 3-2 heading into the last, but a pair of goals in the space of 90 seconds early in the final quarter saw University triumph.

The season-opening match saw a tightly fought arm wrestle between Canterbury and OHA that was settled by a lone goal from Benjamin East, who scored from a tight angle with just 6 minutes remaining to finally break the deadlock and secure a 1-0 win. The game had been in the balance all afternoon with both sides coming close on a number of occasions throughout the match, with both goalies and defences standing firm.

DiamondBacks meanwhile, justified the preseason hype surrounding the group with an accomplished display by registering a 4-1 victory over Derwent. After taking the lead just 2 minutes into the match in spectacular style, thanks to a brilliant goal from Oscar Pritchard, they never looked back, with Jack Pritchard joining his brother on the scoresheet, whilst Joey Bush and Tyler McDonald all finding the back of the net.

In the Women's Premier League the season opener almost produced a boilover, as North West Hobart Graduates found themselves trailing 2-1 with five minutes to go against University. After a tight first-half battle that saw Catherine Webster cancelling out Beth Dobbie's opener, Uni took the lead early in the final quarter via a blast from Harriet Sproule. But two goals in the space of 60 seconds from Josie Crowden, including a craft redirect from a penalty corner five minutes from full time, saw the Bulldogs sneak home.

Tipped as the competition's big improvers, OHA backed that talk up with an outstanding display in a 6-2 win over Canterbury. Having fallen to the Lions in a penalty shootout in last season’s final series, the Ships turned the tables with a dominant display, powered by a hat-trick by Sofie McLeod. Tassie Tiger's star Taylor Brooks also chimed in with a brace, whilst Sarah McCambridge marked her return to the competition after a year off with a well-taken goal just before time expired. Heidi May made some quality saves in the Lions net, but her side was simply outgunned.

In the final game of the day, there were no surprises as DiamondBacks began their title defence with a comprehensive 8-0 win over Derwent Hockey Club. The reigning champions looked in sharp goal-scoring touch, with six different players hitting the back of the net. Kara Gill and Belinda Page both scored two goals, whilst Nicole Geeves, Philida Bridley, Ellie McDonald and Emily Donovan all found themselves on the score sheet as they raced to an 8-0 lead by 3/4 time before, Derwent managed to stiffen and shut them out in the last, with Zara Cunningham making a stunning double save.