Steel Forge Stunner: Perth Men Champions, Defeat Adelaide for Gold

The Perth Steel are champions of the Men’s competition in the 2023 Scape Australian Volleyball Super League, producing a massive comeback against Adelaide Storm to claim the Gold Medal 1-3 at Red Energy Arena in Bendigo.

The Steel started well, establishing a slim lead after the first 10 rally points of the opening set, but Adelaide were always right there with them. The Storm used their PowerPlay to take control of the set, jumping from 11-9 to 15-10, eventually claiming the set 18-11.

The second set was a thriller. Adelaide jumped out to a 7-2 lead early, and kept the Steel at bay to be ahead 14-9 when Perth called their next PowerPlay. It proved to be a masterstroke, as Perth won all three of their next rallies to take all the momentum in the set, including a vicious spike by Jed Walker, eventually winning it 16-18.

The third set proved to be just as epic as the second, with Adelaide’s Cooper Peacock and Perth’s Daniel Piggott trading blows as their teams hit 17-17 going blow-for-blow. Huge swings by Walker and then Tom Heptinstall on the next two rallies delivered the set 17-19 to Perth, turning the match entirely on its head.

The fourth set followed suit, again a blow-for-blow epic as Brendan Clewes for the Storm and Jose Martinez for the Steel went head-to-head. At 15-16 a massive block by Ryan Slater put Perth in an extraordinary Championship Point position. Adelaide defended the first, but an error on serve delivered Perth the next point, giving them the set 16-18 and the Gold Medal.