Dalefield to have a say in play-off opponent

Dalefield will have a say in who they meet in the all important play-off for fifth and sixth place in the Wellington premier division men's hockey competition.
The last of the preliminary round games will be played tomorrow
with Dalefield guaranteed to finish at the bottom of the points table no matter what the result of their match with Harbour City-Tawa at the National Hockey Stadium in Wellington.
However, the result could have much greater importance for Harbour City-Tawa who currently sit fifth on the ladder but could leapfrog Victoria University into fourth place and a semi-final spot if they can beat Dalefield by five or more goals.
Victory in the play-off match to be held in a fortnight's time would, of course, mean Dalefield not having to endure the pain of a promotion-relegation fixture and, interestingly, recent history would suggest they might have more of a chance of beating University than Harbour City-Tawa.
The last time they played University they lost 3-0 despite finishing with only eight players on the field.
The Dalefield line-up tomorrow will be a depleted one with skipper Rowan Yeo and goalkeeper Alan Brady out with injury and Willie Schaefer on suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card
Coach Mark Fenwick, who will replace Brady in goal, says Dalefield will take a positive approach into the game with the idea being to place the emphasis on attack.
"It's a nothing game for us points-wise so all the pressure is on the opposition," Fenwick said.
The Dalefield women also complete their preliminary round matches in the Wellington premier division competition by playing Eastern Hutt at the National Hockey Stadium tomorrow.
It's the second of three games to be played against the competition leaders in 11 days, as they met them in a catch up game at Clareville on Tuesday - Eastern Hutt winning 6-2 - and will strike them again in the semi-finals next weekend.
Tuesday's match saw Dalefield behind by three goals at halftime but compete well in the second half and their aim tomorrow will be to cast further doubts in the minds of the Eastern Hutt team leading into the semis.
Coach Nigel Goodin said the intention was to make full use of the rolling subs rule and to "ruffle the feathers" of Eastern Hutt by adopting an assertive approach .
"We want to have fresh legs coming at them all game to see if we can upset their rhythm, "Goodin said.