Australian Indoor Hockey squads update

Due to the impact of COVID, the Hockey Australia Indoor Advisory Group, under guidance from Hockey Australia, has taken steps to adjust the planning and update the respective squad lists.

Earlier this year the Australian Indoor Hockey Championships scheduled for January 2021 were called off. This was followed by the announcement that the Indoor Hockey World Cup set down for next February would be postponed by 12 months because of the global pandemic.

As such, the following actions have been undertaken:

• All off-field team personnel were contacted and have confirmed they are available to extend in their current roles until after February 2022;
• Australia’s national Indoor Head Coaches, Steve Willer (Men’s Team) and Mark Sandhu (Women’s Team) contacted all squad members (those in the Indoor Hockey World Cup, plus the U21 and U18 squads) who were selected from the National Indoor Festival in 2020 to seek their acceptance or withdrawal from those squads/teams (as the 2021 National Indoor Festival was cancelled, there is no other national event for selection, hence the acceptance/withdrawal approach).

In line with the postponement of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, the selection trials for this tournament, the U21 tour to Europe and the U18 training camp have all been proposed to take place in 2021. Thus, the Selection Policy has been updated to reflect the new process.

From these actions and the responses of players regarding their availability, the Men’s and Women’s selection panels have made the necessary changes to the Indoor squads for 2021. The changes are as follows:

Women’s Squads
Australian Indoor World Cup Squad
Eden Jackat (QLD) replaces Lauren Austin (retired)

Under 21 European Touring Team
Chloe Barrett (NSW) replaces Emma Corcoran

Under 18 Training Camp Squad
Isabella Bozzone (VIC), Rachel Knowles (VIC), Ella Du Preez (WA), Lexie Pickering (NSW) and Lily Neilson (NSW) have withdrawn.
Additions include Sienna Berry (WA), Georgia Needham (WA), Kaelan Read (ACT), Charlotte Ritman (VIC) and Anniston Chappell (QLD) who has been selected as a shadow player.

Men’s Squads
Australian Indoor World Cup Squad
Josh Mayo has withdrawn due to work commitments.

Under 21 European Touring Team
Josh Blakey, William Graf and Samuel Mudford have withdrawn.
Shadow players moved into the selected team are Dominic Cain, Connaigh Whittaker and Kaleb Christensen.

Under 18 Training Camp Squad
Sam James and Connor Tuddenham have withdrawn.
Shadow players moved into the selected squad are Diarmid Chappell, Toby Dreyer and Clayton Evans.