Australia win hockey battle across the ditch as Dirranie Kirby leads her team to cup success

Geraldton’s Dirranie Kirby has helped her Australian side secure the Trans Tasman Masters Cup in New Zealand after they won the three-game hockey series 2-1.

It was the first time the tournament has been held since 2019 and it sees men’s and women’s master’s teams battle it out across three game brackets.

The tournament featured 32 teams with Australia coming out on top in 14 out of 16 brackets in Christchurch with Kirby named as captain of the women’s 45s side.

Teams were given a few days to practice before games began with Kirby’s side’s campaign beginning with a tight 1-0 loss.

But Australia got revenge in the second game scoring in the first, third and fourth quarters to take a 3-0 giving them a two-goal lead in the overall series.

However, they never needed to worry about goal difference as they displayed some of their best hockey of the tournament, scoring three goals in the first quarter to effectively seal the series.

They eventually won the game 6-1 and secured the Cup for Australia.

Kirby said she was overjoyed with her team’s performance.

“It is always an honour to wear the green-and-gold, and play with hockey players from all over Australia,” she said.

“These tournaments are such a great place to learn more about the game and bring that back to our local clubs and associations.”