In a blockbuster year for the Goulburn District Hockey Association, 20 of its players have been selected in state teams, some of which will compete in the Under 15 Australian Championships in Narellan from April 8 to April 14.
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The selections were pleasing news for many of the players, although for most it is not the first time representing their state at a national level.
The players were selected for either ACT or NSW, with the exception of Niamh Blake, who was named in the Northern Territory squad and as a backup player for NSW.
"It was a bit [of a surprise]," Blake said.
GDHA committee member Brooke Stephens said that having 19 players was indicative of the great strength of the association as it is currently.
"For a small community, it's an amazing effort,
"That's basically one and a half teams, and in previous years we've also had quite a few representative players as well.
"Coming out of a small community base, we're churning out some amazing hockey players."
Making the number of selections even more impressive, Stephens said, was the fact that the association has only grown incrementally in the last few years due to its having one usable field available.
With the impending development of a hockey complex at Carr Confoy still in the works, Stephens hopes that, if completed, it will allow the GDHA to produce an even higher quantity of representative players.
The full list of GDHA players selected is as follows:
Under 18s
- Bradley Smith (NSW)
- Annabel Croker (NSW)
- Caitlin Jones (ACT)
- Emma Baxter (ACT)
- Zac McGregor (ACT)
Under 15s
- Makayla Jones (NSW)
- Georgie Smithers (NSW)
- Bridgette Anable (NSW)
- Emmalie Croker (NSW)
- Fletcher Craig (NSW)
- Dylan Downey (NSW)
- Boyd Heidrich (ACT)
- Meg Baxter (ACT)
- Alannah McCarthy (ACT)
- Sophie Hughes (ACT)
- Eliza Kemp (ACT)
- Josh Skelly (ACT)
- Jack McEntree (ACT)
- Jess Croker (ACT)
- Niamh Blake (NT)