It’s again Menlopark versus Waterkloof in the NWU Puk Series final
Die Hoërskool Menlopark and Hoërskool Waterkloof will meet in the final of the NWU Puk Reeks hockey tournament for a third consecutive year.
They booked their spots with resounding semi-final victories.
Playing at HTS Middelburg on Saturday, the defending champions, Menlopark, underscored their dominance with a 9-0 thrashing of Transvalia, while Waterkloof cruised to a 6-0 win over Dr EG Jansen.
Menlopark and Waterkloof were inseparable in the 2024 final and were forced to share the title. They met again in the 2025 final, and Menlopark defeated Waterkloof 2-1 to lift the trophy. Coach Brad Brook’s side will be aiming to make it three in a row, while coach Omari Pienaar-Geyer’s charges will be aiming to wrestle the trophy from Menlo’s grip.
Menlopark goes into the final buoyed by strong performances in their previous outings. They reached the final at the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival before racking up four wins and a draw at the St Stithians Hockey Festival.
“I thought we moved the ball really nicely. The girls weren’t individualistic; their game was all about passing and moving. They looked to find one another and expose the open spaces,” Brook said of Menlopark’s play against Transvalia.
He also praised his team’s hard work, which prevented Transvalia from building play effectively. However, the most important part of Menlopark’s game was their ruthlessness in attack.
“I’m very happy with the performance. Obviously, one or two things that we can still work on, but we’re all quite happy,” Brook said.
Waterkloof, though, will pose a far stiffer challenge than Transvalia. Pienaar-Geyer’s team has been in good form. They reached the last eight at St Mary’s Waverley and then added four wins and a loss at St Stithians to their record.
“We stuck to our plan, moved the ball with purpose, and finished off with some excellent team goals,” Pienaar-Geyer summed up their play against EG Jansen.
“I love it when we play with intent. Yes, we left a few goals out there, but I’m happy with a solid team performance.”
Waterkloof dominated the midfield and denied EG Jansen room to venture into their half. They also controlled the tempo of the game, spending most of it camped inside Jansies‘ half.
Mila Rodenburg showed a great hunger for goals and was almost unstoppable in the circle, scoring four of Waterkloof’s six goals. Two of those goals were assisted by Lenique Vogel, who also produced an excellent outing.
Nicola Smuts and Kyra van der Walt scored the other goals, with Vogel, who was a constant presence in attack, adding a further assist on Smuts’s goal.
The final takes place on 18 April at Dr EG Jansen.
Results
Menlopark 9-0 Transvalia
Waterkloof 6-0 EG Jansen
