The Staines twins, Jake and Ben, unquestionably play their hockey for the Canberra Chill the Australian way – full of flair, entertainment and distinction that will thrill Liberty Hockey One League fans.
In this aspect, they are much like another famous Australian set of twins, cricketers Steve and Mark Waugh, who after being born just four minutes apart went on to share 108 test appearances.
A favourite Waugh story is how Steve was dropped for Mark to make his Australian test debut, with Steve returning to the family home to inform Mark of his selection.
When Mark asked who he had replaced, Steve confirmed it was himself and their mother cried.
She need not have worried though, as both went on to have highly accomplished careers, despite Steve making his debut five years earlier.
While four minutes separated the Waugh’s at birth, Jake Staines proudly boasts that he beat 7-times capped Kookaburra Ben out of the stalls by a comfortable eight minutes.
“We were actually very close to being born on two different dates, but Ben just scraped in on the same date as me,” Jake recalls.
Hockey was introduced to the Staines way of life after both parents played socially and it quickly became a staple alongside motocross, after both failed dismally at cricket.
“One passion we have always had is riding motorbikes and we both enjoyed hooking in and having a real crack, but it took a backseat when we really started focusing on hockey.”
“Indoor hockey also became a big focus for us and back in under 15’s, Benno got picked for NSW and I missed out.”
“As we lived in Goulburn, I then went and played for ACT and when we came up against NSW it was always going to be a struggle because they had Blake Govers, who was a pretty solid cheat code at that age.”
Jake strongly believes that indoor hockey sharpens your handling of the ball up significantly and forces players to be more creative.
“This will sound like a one-eyed brother here, but Benno has the best hands in the country and that’s a direct quote used by Pottsy (Anthony Potter – Kookaburras assistant coach) after last year’s Hockey One League.”
“Indoor hockey has been a big part of me, particularly in the early days and it’s probably the fast pace and the fact that you cannot go missing in a game of indoor that I like, plus it tests out people’s repeat short effort endurance.”
After working tirelessly to build his first home back in Goulburn and benefiting from the support of ex-Kookaburras forward Glenn Turner, Staines’s name was up in lights after winning the Brophy Award for Canberra’s best and fairest in 2021.
A move to Perth ensued and Staines admits that after initially loving the elite training environment, trying to maintain his work ethic on and off the pitch just wasn’t sustainable and as his form faltered, he subsequently lost his National Development squad position in 2022.
“It burnt me out because I was employed by a fella building in Perth, training three mornings of the week and ‘gyming’ of the afternoon just trying to keep up with the Kookas.”
“I wasn’t particularly comfortable, and my hockey was affected by this, just burning the candle at both ends.”
“Being able to work for the last two years and only having to focus on club hockey in Perth has made me realise that I was pushing too hard and not comfortable before.”
While Jake fell out of favour, twin Ben maintained consistently high levels in the Perth club hockey scene, including coming third, second and then finally winning the Olympians Medal (Perth’s best and fairest award) alongside Liam Flynn in 2022.
While the duo starred alongside Davis Atkin and Anand Gupte for the Canberra Chill in 2022, Jake played a supporting role as Ben earned his Kookaburras debut in the FIH Pro League in hockey-mad India.
“I was very close to flying over to watch and support but the timing wasn’t ideal, so then I planned to show up to the New Zealand series.”
“It was incredible to see him play three games there and we managed to get about a dozen childhood friends together in support.”
Having taken the backseat to Ben’s success and with a renewed work-life balance, Jake produced his career-best season to claim the Olympians Medal in his own right this season, after eye-catching performances for Melville City Hockey Club.
He credits the Atlas stick range, supplied by Jinder Joughan of Hockey International, for his two remarkable goals in the WA Premier 1 grand final, which took his Perth club record to 42 goals from 70 appearances.
With a new Kookaburras coach set to be appointed, it could be argued that Staines’ form has kept the international hockey door slightly ajar if he can convert his career-best form to the Liberty Hockey One League.
“It does give me confidence, but I am trying very hard not to hang onto that feeling though, just acknowledging it is there and trying to focus on making myself comfortable rolling into the Hockey One League.”
“I am now self-employed and, without sounding arrogant, I feel like I’m in a better situation where I can call my own shots to manage hockey around work much better than previously, if something was to happen.”
“I’ve also made the decision to relocate to Goulburn for the entire duration of Hockey One and for the Christmas period leading into Indoor Hockey World Cup come February 2025, because I feel if I’m in a happy place outside of hockey, the hockey will treat me well.”
After injuries and player losses hurt the Chill’s chances last year, Staines is highly optimistic they can return to the finals series, set to be hosted in Hobart from November 30 – December 1.
“Last year’s injury list for Chill hurt us bad and I feel Anand Gupte is actually the best defender in the country, because he’s so strong, so brave and just extremely ‘hockey-minded’.”
“Having him and his brother this year will be a blessing, while having Andrew Charter return off the back of the Olympics makes me extremely excited to have him back on board.”
With the stage set for a big Liberty Hockey One League, Staines may yet cast some more similarities to Mark Waugh, who similarly waited a long time to debut for Australia aged mid-twenties and had success in both test cricket and the shortened format.
Should a Kookaburras opportunity one day materialise, Jake could take solace that Waugh not only had an instant impact in international cricket and was part of many successful century partnerships with his twin brother but was widely regarded as one of the stylish players of his generation.
Ben and Jake Staines will be in action when the Canberra Chill host the Perth Thundersticks on Sunday October 13 from 2pm AEDT at the National Hockey Centre.
The Liberty Hockey One League is broadcast live and free on 7plus, with 2024 season tickets and memberships available now here.
Adam Clifford
Hockey One
