The Men’s Indoor Hockey Team that will represent Australia at the sixth edition of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup from 5-11 February 2023 in Pretoria, South Africa has been announced.
The final 12 players selected were finalised after the Australian Men’s Indoor Squad returned from the Trans-Tasman Challenge in New Zealand.
The squad played eight matches against New Zealand, taking home the trophy after a convincing display, winning seven matches and drawing one.
“The Trans-Tasman Challenge was the perfect opportunity to see the players in action and performing under pressure against a fellow Indoor World Cup team,” said Head Coach Steve Willer.
“We have selected a strong team with a balance of experience and up and coming talent to give Australia the best possible chance of success at the Indoor World Cup.”
Among the 12 selected is current Kookaburras goalkeeper, Ben Rennie, who will compete at his third Indoor World Cup.
“To be able to represent my country in both formats of the game is an achievement I am extremely proud of,” said Rennie, who made his Kookaburras debut earlier this year.
“As a national Indoor team, we have been building over the past 5-7 years and are excited to show the world how far we have come since the 2018 Indoor World Cup.
“Steve Willer has put a huge emphasis on developing tactical knowledge and skill execution throughout our junior and senior squads and I believe our group has fantastic depth.”
Victorian strike duo Jake Sherren (pictured above) and James Knee will be aiming to increase their goal tallies as they feature in an Indoor World Cup for the second time.
“The team reached new heights in 2018 and I am excited to continue to build on this. Indoor Hockey has always captured me with how fast paced and full of action it is,” said Sherren.
It has been five years since the last Indoor World Cup, held in Berlin, where the Australian Men’s Team finished 4th, narrowly missing out on the bronze medal.
“We have a strong squad that is keen to perform against the best and take the next step to improve on our result from Berlin,” said Knee.
The team also features twin brothers, Ben and Jake Staines, who were instrumental in Canberra Chill’s impressive recent Hockey One League season. It will be the first time an Australian Indoor team has had twins debuting together.
“It will be memorable to experience a World Cup with Jake. I’ve played every game and trained with him for the past 20 years. It has always been the goal and it is what we both love to do,” said Ben Staines.
Fresh off winning the 2022 Hockey One League with NSW Pride and also playing for the Burras at the Sultan of Johor Cup, young gun Nathan Czinner will make his Australian Indoor Hockey debut in Pretoria.
“I can’t wait to play indoor at the highest level and against the best players in the world,” said Czinner.
Another debutant, Western Australia’s Ryan Pace, said it was a huge honour to be selected.
“We have a great group of guys who have and continue to put in a lot of hard work so to perform at our best,” said Pace.
Australia is currently ranked 10th in the world and is in Pool B for the Indoor World Cup alongside host nation South Africa, Argentina, Iran, Czech Republic and the USA.
Australia will open the Men’s competition against South Africa on 5 February 2023.
Every match of the tournament will be LIVE on Watch.Hockey.
For more information on the tournament visit the official FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2023 website.
The 2023 Australian Indoor Hockey Championships will be held in Brisbane and will provide an excellent opportunity to see the Indoor World Cup players in action, playing for their respective States, before they leave for the Indoor World Cup.
The open men’s competition will run from 3-7 January 2023.
Australian Men’s Indoor Team – FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2023
Name (State) Age
Nathan Czinner (NSW) 20
Ben Hanlan (NSW) 27
Brendan Hill (ACT) 26
Josh Gregory (NSW) 28
James Knee (VIC) 28
William Orth (NSW) 23
Ryan Pace (WA) 24
Ben Rennie (WA) 32
Jake Sherren (VIC) 29
Ben Staines (ACT) 25
Jake Staines (ACT) 25
Jackson Willie (QLD) 25
FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2023 – Australian Men’s Pool Matches
Australia v South Africa
5 Feb 2023, Start Time 9:40am local (6:40pm AEDT)
Australia v Argentina
6 Feb 2023, Start Time 3:30pm local (7 Feb 12:30am AEDT)
Australia v Iran
7 Feb 2023, Start Time 8:30am local (5:30pm AEDT)
Australia v Czech Republic
8 Feb 2023, Start Time 9:20pm local (9 Feb 6:20am AEDT)
Australia v USA
9 Feb 2023, Start Time 12:00pm local (9:00pm AEDT)
