In a battle of the bottom two teams, Old Canberrans blasted three first-half goals to beat Valleys 3-1 at the National Hockey Centre.

Despite an inconsistent start to the year, Apps declared his team a top-four contender and said it had shown promising signs in recent matches.

''We've been working to try and get our structure right and it's slowly coming together,'' Apps said.

''When you look at the other teams Central and Wests are fairly solid at the top of the ladder so you've got to get points off every other team.

''I'm confident we can make the top four.''

Valleys won the match between the two teams 4-3 in the first game of the season, but Dan Borrett, Tristan Kearns and Cameron Bailey-Price ensured there would be no repeat result.

All three knocked in goals in the opening half as Old Canberrans displayed the form that took them to a grand final two years ago.

Neither team gained ascendancy in the second half and Valleys' Anthony Anable scored a consolation goal in the last minute.

Senior and under-21 representative duties meant Apps has struggled to field the same side for consecutive matches.

Seven players will be away next week with four travelling to Darwin with the under-18 ACT side.

In other matches, Central continued its title defence with a 5-2 win against ANU while nothing could separate St Patrick's and United as they played out a 3-3 draw.

AT A GLANCE

OLD CANBERRANS 3 (D Borrett, C Bailey-Price, T Kearns) bt VALLEYS 1 (A Anable); ST PATRICKS 3 (J Wallace 2, A Fitzpatrick) drew with UNITED 3 (I Davidson, C Dent, N Reid); CENTRAL 5 (J Cummins, J Donohoe, M Hotchkis, S Baker-Finch, J Brown) bt ANU 2.

TODAY

Women's: UC v Old Canberrans at 12pm, St Patricks v United at 1.30pm, ANU v Central at 3pm, Wests v Tuggeranong/North Canberra at 4.30pm. All games at National Hockey Centre, Lyneham.