The Hockeyroos have capped a special night for NT’s Brooke Peris, with a courageous second-half performance that ended in a 2-2 draw with China.
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Running out in her 200th appearance for Australia, Peris had always known this night was going to be an emotional night she would remember for a very long time.
“Before the game I was really nice and calm and then the girls presented me with a video and I got very emotional. I was very overwhelmed and I cried the whole time and I did pull myself back together and come out and play and I enjoyed today and I really appreciate what the girls did for me today.”
With her family and friends lining the stands at Perth Hockey Stadium it was a full-circle moment 200 matches after her debut against Japan in 2013.
“It feels really unreal to think that I debuted and then I’m here 200 caps later and something about it just fits right and I’m happy and I’m really overjoyed.”
“It was so much fun. It was fun that my family and friends were here, that we get to wear this uniform on this particular day and we’ve come so far as a team and as a hockey player in general and it’s something I’m very proud of.”
It was always going to be a hard-fought match. The Hockeyroos and China were one a piece and in the first quarter, the match was delivering on the classic rivalry we’ve come to expect between the two sides.
Deadlocked at the first break, both teams showed up in the second quarter hunting their opportunities and by the 7th minute, it was a sensational two minutes for China.
With back-to-back field goals, China had figured out the Hockeyroos’ defence and suddenly the momentum was in their favour.
At the break, the Hockeyroos were 2-0 down but a fighting talk about intent spurred them on attack and Australia fought straight back.
A great ball by Renee Taylor to Rosie Malone forced a penalty corner and Greta Hayes took her position. Well set up by the Hockeyroos on attack, Hayes took the ball and sailed it to the bottom left of the net with a powerful strike.
2-1 down in the final quarter, a goal seemed imminent and before too long QLD’s Steph Kershaw scraped the ball through China’s defence and into the back of the net.
“We definitely felt like the goal was coming and coming. I was pretty stoked to be able to put it in myself, but no, it was an awesome team effort.”
“I think because we’ve played China so often lately, we kind of know how each other play and we’re finding ways to play around that and find our weaknesses between them and us. It’s an interesting little battle that we’ve got going, so I’m really excited to play them again in the final game.”
The Hockeyroos will look to remain unbeaten when they take on the next crop of budding Hockeyroos, Australia A on Tuesday. Then, the Hockeyroos will look to go two from two against Japan on Wednesday evening.
You can see the full Perth International Festival of Hockey schedule here.
All matches will be streamed live and free on 7Plus.
Match Details
Hockeyroos: 2 (Greta Hayes 38″ & Steph Kershaw 53″)
China: 2 (Meirong Zou 22″ & Yang Chen 2″)
At Perth Hockey Stadium
Hockeyroos: 1. Claire Colwill, 2. Rosie Malone, 3. Brooke Peris (c), 4. Amy Lawton, 5. Grace Young, 7. Aleisha Power (gk), 12. Greta Hayes, 13. Hattie Shand, 14. Stephanie Kershaw, 15. Kaitlin Nobbs, 17. Lucy Sharman, 19. Jocelyn Bartram (gk), 20. Karri Sommerville, 21. Renee Taylor, 24. Mariah Williams, 29. Rebecca Greiner, 44. Abigail Wilson
