On the Beat: Narrogin police set the pace at friendly high school hockey game

Students from Narrogin Senior High School were “fired up” in a friendly match of hockey, which saw local police win five goals to one in goalkeeper Sergeant Laurie Seton’s last game.

The fun afternoon of community sport was held in Narrogin on Monday with local police and high school students taking up the stick in a friendly game.

The cops showed no quarter as they beat the kids 5:1, but there were no losers when the final whistle blew and both sides came together to enjoy a sausage sizzle and congratulate each other after a competitive game.

With over a decade of collective experience behind them, the skill of the police neutralised the energy of their young opponents, however, both sides proved equal when it came to having a friendly dig.

“I think the sun was a bit of a challenge, “ NSHS student Cassie Coppock said.

“It was in our eyes but I think everybody had a good time.

“There was a little bit of banter but it was all in good spirit, it was great.”

NSHS came out energised after the halftime break, relentlessly attacking the goal which caused concern among their confident opposition.

“That’s when we got our energy,” Cassie said.

“We were sussing them out for the first half, (but) they were more competitive than we thought they would be.

“When hockey season starts back up, I reckon everybody will be fired up and ready.”

Relaxing after the game, goalkeeper Sergeant Laurie Seton reflected on the win.

“We had a couple of guys out there who have never picked up a hockey stick before,” he said.

“As I told the kids, our secret weapon was the long arm of the law — they underestimated our reach.”

With developing and deepening community relationships the goal of the friendly match, Sgt Seton said that everyone was a winner.

“We’ve all got families and it’s nice to interact without a uniform,” he said.

“Looking at the way the kids played, it’s nice to know that the future of hockey is assured, there are some great leaders out there.”

The game was Sgt Seton’s last “ever”.

“I started playing hockey in 1983 at Bunbury Grammar School,” he said.

“In forty years, I’ve never stepped out of the goals.

“Today wasn’t about the win, it was about being out there, the win was a bonus. I think next year the kids will come in with their eyes wide open and a lot more prepared.”