Bittersweet for WAIS Women’s Hockey
It’s been a bittersweet week for the WAIS Women’s Hockey program, with two injuries to senior WAIS Hockeyroos followed by the inclusion of two WAIS debutants in the Australian squad.
In a major blow to Frank Murray’s side star Hockeyroos defender Kobie McGurk has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy after suffering a serious knee injury in a club game in Perth last week.
23-year old McGurk ruptured her ACL, ruling her out for up to 12 months and severely affecting the Hockeyroos defensive structure ahead of the major tournament of the year – the Champions Trophy in Sydney this month.
Hockeyroos coach Frank Murray said although the injury was a huge disappointment both for McGurk personally and the team overall, it was hoped she would recover in time for the 2010 Women’s World Cup held in Argentina in late August 2010.
“We are hopeful that Kobie will be back in the team in time for the World Cup,” said
News of McGurk’s injury was closely followed by that of Kim Walker having suffered a hamstring ailment. At this stage the injury to the midfielder hadsn’t ruled her out of the Champions Trophy, with the Beijing Olympian set to miss the German Test series in Perth this week in order to secure her fitness for Sydney.
The disappointment of the two injuries has been tempered by the announcement that the pair have been replaced for the German series by two WAIS rising stars.
The inclusion of young guns Kate Denning and Fiona Boyce in the squad for this week’s Tests against Germany will mean the pair will make their international debuts in front of their home crowd at the Perth Hockey Stadium.
Both will be eager to impress with one of them set to be called up to the Champions Trophy squad should Walker’s injury keep her out.
In other hockey new WAIS men’s player Graeme Begbie has been added to the national squad after an impressive European tour last month. Begbie, who was named player of the finals in the Thundersticks AHL victory, made his Kookaburras debut in Europe and looks set to play a part in the men’s Champions Trophy campaign in Melbourne later this year.
Fellow WAIS men’s scholarship holders Jonathan Charlesworth and Brent Dancer have also been named in the national development squad, with both expected to play for Australia A in the upcoming tri-nations tournament in Canberra.
