WAIS hockey athletes Kim Walker, Kobie McGurk and Hope Munro are in the final stages of preparation for the up-coming Spar Cup – a four nation invitational tournament – which is being hosted in South Africa.
The Hockeyroos will go head to head with India and world second ranked Argentina alongside hosts South Africa in the June 2-6 tournament, which will be the national sides’ first competitive hit-out since the Beijing Olympics.
Given the youthful flavour in coach Frank Murray’s side, the experienced mentor has indicated he will be interested in seeing how the new members adapt to the pressure of international hockey, but still thinks they can cause problems for their opposition.
“Obviously we will enter every game looking to win, but overall as our first series since Beijing, this tournament will give me a chance to assess how the players handle the pressure against quality opposition. Furthermore, it gives the players a chance to work together and begin the process of coming together as a team,” Murray said.
Following the retirements of veterans Nikki Hudson, Angie Lambert, Melanie Wells and a host of others, this tournament provides the Hockeyroos with a great opportunity to begin their new Olympic cycle on a positive note.
The tour will begin with warm up matches against South Africa and India in the lead up to the Spar Cup. The bigger challenge in 2009 comes in the form of the Samsung Hockey Champions Trophy – Women 2009 Sydney tournament from July 11-19.
