The Kookaburras kick off their European Tour this week when they compete in the Hamburg Masters Series in Germany.
Four Western Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holders have travelled to Europe for the tour with Fergus Kavanagh, Ian Burcher, Ross Meadows and Graeme Begbie all selected.
Begbie was one of four members not originally selected in the 2009 international squad but as coach Ric Charlesworth explains, the tour is a good opportunity for young players to gain valuable international experience.
“In the past the squads are usually 24 players, but we need to build a new group so I would like to expose as many players as possible to the national team,” Charlesworth said.
“I have said from the start that my first six months as coach would be about discovery, and playing with this many young players will give me a good chance to see how they handle themselves at international level,” he said.
The Hamburg Masters (26 May – June 7) combines hosts Germany against Australia, the Netherlands and England in a competition that will pit the Kookaburras against some of the world’s best hockey exponents.
The European Tour also incorporates individual matches against France, Germany and England.
Coming up against the likes of Beijing gold medallists Germany and old rivals the Netherlands, whom the Kookaburras defeated to win bronze at last year’s Olympics, the Kookaburras can expect some difficult competition during this tour.
With England, Germany and the Netherlands all competing at the 2009 Men’s Champions Trophy event, this tour will give the Kookaburras an excellent opportunity to assess their opposition before the major tournament, held in Melbourne from November 28 – December 6.
