Positives aplenty from Burras Gold Coast camp

Australia’s Under 21 Men’s squad, the Burras have completed a successful training camp on the Gold Coast as preparations continue for the FIH Junior World Cup.

The training camp, which was made possible thanks to City of Gold Coast, featured 44 of Australia’s best Under 21 male hockey talent.

Overseen by Head Coach Ben Bishop, the week long National Junior Camp was also attended by a host of National Institute Network and Pathway coaches and staff plus Hockey Australia High Performance Pathways Manager Ian Rutledge and National Athlete Pathway Program (NAPP) Technical Lead Mark Knowles.

Players were put through three days of high intensity training before competing in intra-squad matches.

“It was fantastic to be able to gather our U21 Nationally identified athletes together for the first time in over 18 months,” said Bishop.

“The athletes showed a high level of engagement and the quality on display was pleasing. The camp sets our program up very well for the events that will unfold throughout 2021 and beyond.

“I look forward to seeing the athletes’ improvement towards performances at the U21 Australian Championships where we will look to further narrow our squad for future development and competition opportunities.”

Being at his first Burras camp since being appointed to the Technical Lead role, Knowles was also impressed by what he saw.

“There was a high level of skill, both technically and tactically from the players,” said Knowles.

“Looking ahead, a major emphasis for our Pathways players remains on pass and receive quality both stationary and in movement, tackling skills and penalty corner execution.”

There was also an important off field component to the camp with the players undertaking numerous learning sessions.

These sessions included one by 2004 Olympic gold medal winning Kookaburra Nathan Eglington, who spoke about his hockey journey and learnings throughout his career.

Kookaburras Culture Coach Brian Fitzpatrick also took time out to spend time with the Burras squad, discussing high performance behaviours and expectations from within the Kookaburras group.

Taking in every aspect of the camp, Knowles said it provided him and all of the coaches with a good indication of the current performance levels and standard at this age level and the importance of creating the best possible development pathways.

“This camp provided me with a good gauge of our player depth and also showcased the level that our recently selected National Futures squad will be striving to get to and emulate,” said Knowles.

“Both the Burras and the Men’s Futures Squad are important stepping stones to providing a larger group of players ready to play for the Kookaburras in the years to come.”

The next major event for those who attended the camp will be the Australian Under 21 Championships which begin on 30 June in Moorebank, New South Wales.