Dalefield seek United stand in bid for semis

Dalefield men's hockey coach Lance Hare says a semifinals berth is still within the grasp of his side in the Wellington premier division competition.
Dalefield lies fifth in the six-team series with seven points, behind Hutt 16, Northern United 15, Indians 14 and Harbour City-Tawa 12 and ahead of Victoria University 6.
Tomorrow's encounter with Northern United at the National Hockey Stadium signals the end of the second round for Dalefield, with one full round of matches still to come before the top four are found.
To improve their position to fourth, Dalefield would not only need to beat Victoria University but probably at least two of the sides positioned above them, something Hare believes is within their capabilities, with one important proviso ... everybody involved gives 100 per cent to the team cause.
''This is a tough competition and if you don't show up ready to play, every single time you are going to take some hidings, that's the way it is,'' he said. ''We need to get more consistency into our game, do that and anything is possible.''
Hare expects a Northern United side which suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Indians last weekend to come with renewed purpose tomorrow and consequently he has been stressing the need for his players to stay composed in pressure situations.
''Defensively, we have to be very tight .We need to do everything we can to restrict their space and time on the ball,'' Hare said. ''They [Northern United] are the sort of side who generally put the ball in the back of the net if they get behind your defence, they are usually very clinical in that respect.''
Hare also wants Dalefield to retain their structure on attack, with the emphasis on teamwork rather than individual brilliance. He said the latter seldom paid off against Northern United, which prided themselves on the stability of their defence. ''You have to be patient against them, you have to work hard for everything you get.''.
Several positional changes are likely in the Dalefield line-up to cope with the challenges posed by Northern United, with Hare suggesting the ultra-competitive Greg Mason could be moved from fullback to centre half, Trent Lett to fullback, Dane Lett to midfield and Rowan Yeo to a forward line which would also include hard-working duo Mark Scully and Ben Van Woerkom.