It was the Seagulls' youngsters who came to the fore to deliver the knock-out punch with Chris Coleman, Pat Phillips and Jesse Gatt finding a way past University goalkeeper Chris Mason.

"All year we have fielded a young side, lacking in experience and making up for it with speed and fitness," Seagulls coach Darren Duff said.

"It was very pleasing to see our goals scored by three kids under the age of 20. There's a lot of improvement to come from this bunch of kids."

It was a gutsy win by the Seagulls in the absence of captain Matthew Guest, on international duty with Canada, and Matt McCann, who's out with injury.

The Seagulls rallied behind stand-in skipper Tyson Priddle to claim their first win in the Hockey Victoria men's state league 1 in six matches.

They will travel to Waverley on Saturday.

■ Altona also breezed past Melbourne University in the women's state league 2.

Seagulls striker Tegan Purser, second on the league's goalscorers list, sent in a hat-trick for the second week in row.

The Seagulls have responded to the coaching style of Justine Cooke and her assistant Marc Richardson with some breathtaking passages of play.

"She set the structure and she's worked hard to get us to play the way she wants us to," Purser said.

"We're a very attacking team, we play an attacking game and the difference this year to last is we've been able to put the ball in the back of the net."

■ Footscray unveiled its three new internationals and they made an immediate impact in a 4-1 win over Brunswick in the men's state league 2 at the Brunswick Secondary College. Argentinian full-back Javier Telechea capped his Bulldogs debut with two goals, while his countryman, striker Gaston Edreira, and England international Robbie Smith, impressed.

■ Footscray pounced on its first win in the women's state league 2 over Yarra Valley at the State Hockey Centre in Parkville. It was a great week for the Bulldogs with new goalkeeper Penny Mather earning selection in the Victorian under-21 team.