The AHL in previous years has been limited to a single state in which each team only played the others once before finals. 

In 2018, the teams will play at least one home and one away fixture among their three scheduled matches, before the finals begin in the Gold Coast on October 25. 

The first round of matches took place over the weekend, and the ACT had mixed success in their clashes with Tasmania. 

The Strikers defeated Tasmania in the first women’s fixture of the tournament, 0-3, while the Lakers lost 5-1. Both matches took place in Hobart.

The Lakers were expecting a tough match in Tasmania, and coach Morgan James said last week that many members of the side were new to the scene. 

“We always have very tight tussles with Tassie,” James said. 

“We’ve got a lot of young guys in this year … I think we’ve got up to ten who played in the Under 21 Championship earlier this year. 

“It’s young, exciting, interesting.” 

One of the newest members of the squad is Central young gun Jamie Hawke, who was selected to represent the ACT for the first time in this tournament. 

“It is really exciting, going down to Tassie this weekend to play with a few boys I played juniors with,

“I think it has [been a long time coming], we’ve all been going through the ranks playing juniors together and looking up to players like Glenn Turner and Daniel Hogdkiss. 

“It’s good experience for us, and hopefully it will help us get over the line.” 

The Lakers and the Strikers have both welcomed some international players into their sides in an effort to boost their chances in the AHL. 

Japanese imports Manabu Yamashita and Kazuma Murata took to the field for the Lakers on Saturday, while English midfielder Beckie Middleton and Irish defender Elena Tice both played for the Strikers. 

Tice, who was part of Ireland’s silver medal effort at this year’s Women’s Hockey World Cup, said that she was “delighted to be here [in Canberra]. It’s an amazing setup.”