Five WAIS Athletes in the Kookaburras Olympic Training Squad
After an historic fourth consecutive Champions Trophy win in New Zealand last weekend, Kookaburras coach Ric Charlesworth has selected his 2012 London Olympic Games training squad.
The 28 member squad contains five AIS-WAIS scholarship holders with Kiel Brown and Fergus Kavanagh – who both featured in the Champions Trophy success – joined by Graeme Begbie, Jonathan Charlesworth and Brent Dancer.
Separate to the London Olympic training squad, Charlesworth also named a 14 member 2012 Olympic Development Squad containing AIS-WAIS athletes Chris Bausor, Ian Burcher, Tristan Clemons, Trent Mitton, Grant Schubert and Aran Zalewski.
Charlesworth said “the task of selecting a squad is very difficult. We’ve built a deep squad over the last three years and it made the selection process tough, but we believe this group is better balanced in terms of attack and defence.”
Heading the list of star players is five time World Player of the Year, Jamie Dwyer and FIH Young Player of the Year, Matthew Swann. Both players were standout performers at the recent Champions Trophy, both winning a gold medal, with Dwyer winning the top goal scorer award with seven strikes.
Injury hit players Rob Hammond and Graeme Begbie were also selected despite not playing a match for the Kookaburras this year. “They are both at the stage where we believe they can train fully,” Charlesworth said.
The training squad includes a handful of players who are aiming to play in their third straight Olympic Games. Dwyer, Liam De Young, Mark Knowles and Hammond will attempt to emulate their 2004 Athens gold medal success in London 2012.
In addition, there are nine players in the 2012 squad who tasted success at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by winning a bronze medal. These include: Des Abbott, Kiel Brown, De Young, Luke Doerner, Dwyer, Fergus Kavanagh, Hammond, Knowles and Eddie Ockenden.
Andrew Charter (ACT) and Jonathon Charlesworth (WA) have been included in the 28 player Olympic training squad at the expense of Trent Mitton (WA), Grant Schubert (WA), Jacob Whetton (QLD) and Leon Hayward (NT).
Charlesworth said, “the two players that have come into the squad (Andrew Charter and Jonathon Charlesworth) are the best performed players from our development squad over the past year. Grant Schubert is still recovering from a serious achilles tendon injury. He’s working hard on his rehabilitation but just hasn’t been able to play any hockey yet. The window is open but he has to show over the next few months that he’s ready to play again.”
Mitton, Schubert and Whetton have all been named in the development squad along with Chris Bausor, Tim Bates, Ian Burcher, Tristan Clemons, Bevan George, Daniel Hotchkis, Josh Miller, Tristan White, Tom Wickham, Matthew Willis and Aran Zalewski.
Former WAIS scholarship holder and hockey champion, Bevan George has come out of retirement and is aiming to compete at his third straight Olympic Games.
George had retired after the bronze medal match in Beijing. Charlesworth revealed “Bevan George approached me a few months ago indicating his interest in being involved and has now been training with the group for three months and has progressed ahead of where we thought he might be.”
An intense three month training program will see the development squad train with the Olympic squad until the end of March where development squad players have the chance to push for senior squad inclusion.
The final Olympic Games team will be selected in June.
-HockeyAustralia
