Turner, who is currently coaching the ACT Under 21 Men’s side in the Under 21s championship in the Australian Hockey Festival, is hoping to follow up a finals berth on Tuesday by taking the field with the ACT Open Men on Wednesday. 

The ACT Under 21s have made a promising start to the tournament, with three wins and only a sole loss to NSW at the time of writing, to have them seated at the top of the ladder.

The current side boasts five Goulburn players, including Ben and Jake Staines, Nick Patton, Lachlan Lewis, and Lachlan Norberg. 

“It’s a pretty big contingent for one team,” Turner said. 

“I’m very proud, obviously indoor [hockey] in Goulburn is thriving. I’ve watched a few tournaments, and they’ve been awesome. It’s really good to see, and hopefully it continues to build.” 

While some of the more junior players in the side have struggled in the younger age divisions, Turner said that their confidence has been greatly boosted by the presence of experienced campaigners like the Staines brothers, who are “two of the best players in Australia” in his opinion. 

The strong start that the ACT made to the Under 21 tournament is promising, but Turner is aware that the competition is one of the closest in the festival, and that his side cannot afford to let their guard down. 

“It’s really tight, this competition,” Turner said. 

“If we lose to Victoria today, it changes everything. The top four is very, very good … the results are just everywhere. 

“It’s actually a crazy comp, because game anyone could win.” 

Turner has coached individually and some local sides in the past, however this is his first coaching position in a national tournament, and he explained that it came about as a result of his proximity to Hockey ACT. 

“I know them all [the players] really well, and ACT Hockey didn’t have a coach [for the Under 21 side],” Turner said. 

“I work up there with my gym, they asked me one day if I’d like to do it, and it’s something that I really enjoy.” 

As he approaches the end of his playing career, Turner added that his coaching role also gives him the competitive ‘fix’ that he loves. 

The Under 21 competition will wrap up on Tuesday January 22, and it followed the Under 18 competition which concluded on Thursday January 17, with NSW claiming victory in both the women’s and men’s competitions. 

The Festival is taking place at Veolia Arena and will conclude on Saturday January 26 with the finals of the Open divisions.