Dalefield back at scene of Indian massacre

Dalefield coach Mark Fenwick says his team won't be taking a defensive approach in their Wellington premier division men's hockey match with Indians at Clareville tomorrow.
Indians walloped Dalefield 12-0 earlier in the season and have already raced out to a commanding eight point lead on the competition table but Fenwick dismisses any thought of Dalefield adopting tactics aimed mainly at keeping the final scoreline to within reasonable bounds.
"Look, we know how good they (Indians) are but what's the point of conceding defeat before you go out there," Fenwick said.
"We like to think we have improved a lot since that earlier hiding and this is our chance to prove it."
Fenwick said the key to a strong Dalefield effort probably lay in their ability to retain possession for long periods, especially when in opposition territory.
"They love to counter attack and we have to do everything we can to deny them those opportunities," he said. "We can't afford to be loose in our passing or our support play, we have to be really tight in those areas.".
Fenwick said Dalefield through the likes of Jesse Workman and Rowan Yeo had enough attacking potential themselves to expose any deficiencies in the Indians defence, therefore providing them with a consistently accurate service could have its rewards. "We have to get players like them into the game as much as we can, that's vital for us," he said.
The Dalefield women are also up against Indians in a Wellington premier division match at Clareville tomorrow and while Dalefield lost 2-1 to them a few weeks back coach Rochelle Retter is optimistic of victory on this occasion.
Which is hardly surprising considering that Dalefield has played the better of the two sides since that match, a sentiment supported by the competition table which has Dalefield in third place on nine points and Indians fourth on seven points.
Retter does, however, have respect for the speed of the Indians forwards and knows what will happen if the Dalefield defence isn't just as quick to close them down.
"We can't allow them any latitude on attack, contain them there and there's no reason why we can't win," Retter said.
Dalefield will be without Wairarapa under-16 reps Chloe Stevens, Libby Noema and Emma Warren for tomorrow's game but Retter is confident Dalefield have enough depth in their squad to cope.
"Any time you lose players others have to step up, nothing ever changes in that respect," he said.
First round matches in the Wellington secondary schools premier league last Friday saw Wairarapa teams to the fore.
In the boys grade Rathkeale College beat Tawa 4-2 and Wairarapa College beat Paraparaumu 11-0 while in the girls competition St Matthew's beat Kuranui 8-0 and Wairarapa College beat Chilton St James 11-0.
The draw for tonight is:
Boys: Rathkeale v Hutt Valley High at National Hockey Stadium, Wairarapa College v Rongotai at National Hockey Stadium.Girls: Wairarapa College v Wellington Girls at Clareville, St Matthews v Chilton St James at National Hockey Stadium.