James Collins, Liam Flynn and Tom Harvie selected in Australia A Squad for Japan tour

WAIS graduate James Collins, and scholarship holders Liam Flynn and Tom Harvie selected in Australia A Squad for a four-match series against Japan in August.

The 20-member Australia A team comprises a combination of Kookaburras players and athletes from the National Development Squad.

Collins who graduated to the Kookaburras earlier this year will be joined in the squad by Lynn and Harvie who both train as part of the WAIS Hockey Program, under Head Coach Steph Andrews.

With opportunities for Australia’s best hockey players to compete internationally few and far between over the past two years due to COVID, Kookaburras Head Coach Colin Batch is pleased to add this tour to the calendar.

“This series is an ideal opportunity for our developing players and national squad players who missed Commonwealth Games selection to get some exposure to international hockey, which they don’t get often,” said Batch.

“It also provides the national program and national coaches an opportunity to assess the depth of our elite men’s squads by seeing how players perform against an international team.

“The extreme heat expected in Japan when the tour is on will add another challenging component, so it will be a great test of the players’ reserves both physically and mentally.

“The Japanese Hockey Federation have done a lot to make this tour happen so we are grateful for the work and support they have put into hosting the series.”