Nelson Drafted into Hockeyroos Squad

WAIS hockey athlete Ashleigh Nelson has received a call-up for the Hockeyroos’ squad ahead of a warm-up series against New Zealand for November’s Champions Trophy.

As the result of an ankle injury, South Australian Jane Claxton has been withdrawn from the 27-member training squad announced by Hockeyroos Head Coach Adam Commens last week. Claxton will be replaced in the squad by striker Ashleigh Nelson, a teammate of Claxton’s during the Hockeyroos’ silver medal-winning World Cup campaign and Commonwealth Games title success.

Commonwealth Games winner Claxton missed the first two games of the Australian Hockey League powered by Premier Technology Solutions before playing the third and fourth matches forSA Southern Suns. However, afteraggravating her ankle shesat out the remainder of the tournament.

Having been a mainstay in the highly successful Hockeyroos’ teams of the past two years, Nelson had originally been omitted from the training squad to allow her a period of rest.

As well as being drafted into the Hockeyroos squad, Nelson was this week listed as a nominee for the WAIS Athlete of the Year Award, joining fellow hockey athletes; Jayde Taylor, Fergus Kavanagh and Aran Zalewski in the long list for the Institute’s top gong.

The Hockeyroos will select its final 18-athlete Champions Trophy squad in the first week of November.

-with HockeyAustralia