The under 13 Victoria Blue Girls and Boys teams finished the Australian Championships in Perth as Australian Champions. Southern United players: Will Carruthers, Lachlan Paice, Davin Walker, Dominique Blatherwick, Hayley Lambert, Josie Lawton and Laura Loycke were members of the winning teams. A huge congratulations to these players.

The Vic White girls team with Emilia Downes and Emily Butler finished mid field, the boys white team with Jacques Carstens, Nicholas Fitzgerald, Tyler Jacobs had a tough tournament but kept on fighting.

For Will Carruthers this is the fourth Australian Championships Gold Medal. He was part of the winning teams in the Under 12 School Sport Australia 2014, 2015 and the Under 13 Hockey Australia Championships in 2015.  For Davin his second.  The girls Dominique, Josie and Laura all have another year in under 13 which bodes well for the 2017 Championships.

The tournament will be remembered by many as a tough tournament, not only the hockey but the serious illness that hit the girls teams putting many in hospital makes the success of the girls teams that much more impressive.

Victoria has a great track record of Under 13 Australian Championships in recent years, with three gold and two silver in the past five years with Southern having a hand in all of them.  In 2013 the boys won with Southern’s Jesse Workman and Michael Pearce coaching, Helen Ward team manager, and players Alistair Hart, Brad Marais and Carlin Walker. 2014 the first year of the new format placed the boys in second place with Jesse Workman and Chris Marr coaching, Helen again team manager and Carlin Walker and Craig Marais part of the team.  In 2015 despite the Darwin weather  the Under 13 Vic Boys took out gold again with Will Carruthers, Billy Hanrahan and Craig Marais in the team from Southern.  In 2012 the boys were runners up with Southern Juniors Nathan Ephraums, Max Dalton and Calvin Martinz part of the team, while in 2011 the winning Victorian team had then Southern junior George Kastaras.