A selection of the best male and female hockey players who will be in their prime age come the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games have been announced in this year’s Men’s and Women’s Australian Futures (U18) Squads.
On average, the players selected will be around 27 years of age for the next home Olympics, signalling a significant crop of Hockeyroos and Kookaburras stars of the future could come from these groups.
The squads of 32-players were announced after the recent Australian U18 Championships in Hobart by former Kookaburras greats Mark Hager and Mark Knowles, who are Hockey Australia’s National Athlete Pathway Programs Technical Leads for Women and Men respectively.
The 2023 Women’s Futures Squad comprises 11 players who were part of last year’s Futures Program.
Queensland Maroon’s dominance in the women’s competition at the Australian U18 Championships, which saw them win every game and concede two goals for the tournament, was reflected with seven players named in the squad. Tammin Andrews, who played for Queensland Gold, was the other Queenslander selected.
Player of the Tournament Camryn Mathison, fellow Queenslanders Karissa Van der Wath and Mihaylia Howell, and Western Australian Jessica Freedman were not named as they are part of the Australian Women’s Junior (Under 21) Squad.
“The overall standard was better than last year and despite some of the more lop-sided results, there were a lot of really competitive matches,” said Hager.
“These players have been identified as potential Hockeyroos of the future. They will be the next crop coming through over the next decade with an eye to Brisbane in 2032.”
“While they have performed well to be selected in this squad, the hard work and dedication goes up another level from here, so we look forward to helping these players become the best hockey players and people they can be.”
Similarly, to the Women’s Squad, the Men’s Futures Squad features 21 new faces. Seven players were selected from Tasmania’s all conquering team that went through the Australian U18 Championships undefeated, headlined by Player of the Tournament Oliver Stebbings.
Queensland Maroon, who won the silver medal at the championships, also had seven players selected.
Knowles said the U18 Championships was evenly contested which made the selection task difficult.
“It was a really competitive tournament, and the overall level was pleasing, so it made for some difficult decisions in selecting this squad,” said Knowles.
“The average age of players in teams who have won medals at recent Olympics fit right into the age these Futures players will be for the home Olympics in Brisbane.
“This is the opportunity that presents itself for them but also highlights the importance of our task in nurturing and developing these players to give them the best chance to represent the Kookaburras.”
“This group will play a key role in our 2025 Junior World Cup preparation and also our forward thinking as we seek long term success at the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032.”
Over the course of the next 12 months, the selected athletes will be part of a program that includes individual athlete performance planning, online technical and tactical sessions, learning about dual career, mental health and wellbeing, while there will also be two training camps held.
2023 Hockey Australia Women’s Futures (U18) Squad
Imogen Dorsett* ACT
Alyssa Smith* (gk) ACT
Hunter Baldwin NSW
Emmalee Croker* NSW
Chloe Holmes* NSW
Maya McGrath NSW
Amalia Patterson NSW
Lilly Twigg NSW
Macenzee Dixon NT
Amy Stripling* NT
Tammin Andrews QLD
Meka Crick QLD
Chloe Daly* (gk) QLD
Georgia Harris QLD
Nina Murphy QLD
Lily Richardson QLD
Jamie-Lee Surha QLD
Demi Walker* QLD
Ella Bruce SA
Isabelle Kruimink* TAS
Millie Smith TAS
Daisy Caink (gk) VIC
Zara Geddis VIC
Samantha Love* VIC
Trinity Woodward VIC
Bianca Zurrer VIC
Matilda Banfield* WA
Summer Greenway* (gk) WA
Georgia Hiskins WA
Megan McCaffrey WA
Jaeda Ritchie WA
Sienna Robinson WA
*Were in last year’s Futures Squad
2023 Hockey Australia Men’s Futures (U18) Squad
Hamish Morrison ACT
Sebastien Griffith NSW
Oskar Smith NSW
Jared Findlay NSW
Tobias Jenner NT
Tom Campbell* QLD
Oliver Harding* QLD
William Powell* QLD
William Ready* QLD
Daykin Stanger QLD
Quintyn Laskey-Vella (gk) QLD
Matthew Hawthorne QLD
Bryce Hammond SA
Evan Staker (gk) SA
Lucas Toonen SA
Thomas Wycherley SA
Ruben Hoey* TAS
Max Johnstone* TAS
Jack Larkin (gk) TAS
Jack Pritchard TAS
Oscar Pritchard TAS
Oscar Sproule TAS
Oliver Stebbings TAS
Benjamin Graven VIC
Duncan Jackson VIC
Kade Leigh VIC
Oliver Thompson* VIC
Oliver Will* VIC
Patrick Andrew* WA
Ian Grobbelaar* WA
Mitchell Hyde* WA
Travis King (gk) WA
*Were in last year’s Futures Squad
