Powell: Focus squarely on Paris

Following the announcement of the 2022 Hockeyroos squad, Head Coach Katrina Powell discusses the rationale behind the selections and the positive trajectory and depth of Australian women’s hockey at the elite level.

The announcement of the squad for the year is a huge occasion on the national hockey calendar. How exciting is it to get to this point and to now start focussing on the work ahead?

KP: “This day on the calendar is a really important one, even more so this year with an eye on Paris and the importance of getting it right. Making sure we are working with athletes who we see representing Australia at the Paris Olympics is really important.”

In terms of getting it right, how would you sum up the squad you have selected?

KP: “I’m really excited about the future of this group. It has retained a lot of talent that saw us perform well in Tokyo, but I think the addition of the four new players will help us solidify that and put our hand up for a medal in Paris.”

Do you see this selection as being about ‘generation next’ with the list of retirements coupled with now having six of the 22 players in the squad with less than five international matches?

KP: “The experience piece is an important one. You want to go into an Olympic Games as an experienced group so that’s why we have made some of these changes now.

Looking to the future in Paris and beyond, it’s important to expose these players to big matches that we have this year with the World Cup and Commonwealth Games. Having them experience and learn from these major tournaments this year is critical.”

Is that one of the things that excites you about this group going into this year?

KP: “We get to test the players pretty quickly. With only 22 in the squad we have also seen a great depth of talent around the country, so we’re quite prepared to select on talent, performance, capability and the physical attributes of athletes at any given time.

We won’t restrict ourselves to the 22 but to see how those athletes go under the real pressure of a World Cup and Commonwealth Games immediately gives us some really good feedback.”

Can you provide an insight into each of the three new additions to the squad?

“Claire (Colwill) is talented with real potential and comes out of our national junior program. She has great skill and awareness and makes it look like she always has a lot of time in possession, so I’m keen to see how she progresses with the capability to realise this potential.

Hattie is a highly competitive and skilful defender who has great physical capability. Shanea Tonkin has been in our national development squad and made some real progress in terms of her physicality. She has great speed and skill so we are keen to see what she can do.”

And Rebecca Greiner has been in the Hockeyroos squad previously but is she almost like a new signing being back in the fold?

KP: “All credit to Bec. She has been in the squad before, so after being left out in 2019 she has gone away and really worked hard on her skills and physicality. She played really well in Brisbane and is a QAS athlete but has been really well supported by WAIS since she has been back in Perth. I am really pleased to see her doing well and back in the squad.”

Do you see these four players being able to adapt to the next level relatively quickly?

KP: “We do given their skillset and also their physicality and their attacking mentality. That’s what we’re looking for in the Hockeyroos – that ‘want’ to go forward.

They all have pace and a good level of fitness, so they will work into the Hockeyroos way of play heading towards Paris.”

How tough was selection – not only the fact you were only selecting 22 players but also the process of holding selection camps across the country and not having the ability to see a lot of players in match environments over the last 12 months because of COVID?

KP: “I think that is one of the key questions. For a number of the players coming in we are confident they can do it at the next level but seeing them compete in their home locations within their home state does make it difficult to determine that.

We have obviously seen these athletes play at some kind of level, but it does make it hard with the borders the way they have been with COVID. One thing it revealed was the great depth we have as we got to see a lot more players than we normally would, so that is one of the positives. The depth of women’s hockey in Australia is really exciting.”

Why have you only selected 22 athletes?

KP: “In response to the recently advised reduction in the funding profile for the Women’s High Performance Program, we will have to do a number of things differently including reducing the size of the named Hockeyroos squad.

This means we are being really targeted with who we select and who we work with so we can maintain the same level of support for the athletes but also keeping open the opportunities for pathway athletes as we look towards and beyond Paris.”

Does this mean the door to representing the Hockeyroos is well and truly open to those who have not been selected?

KP: “Strategically we will be working a lot more closely with our pathway programs to ensure that we are continuing to develop athletes that can push for selection.

While our focus will be on the 22 players named, we need to ensure we also develop the depth and talent in the Pathway by providing the right opportunities for players beyond the 22 announced today. This will ensure we are selecting the best players to play for Australia when the time comes.”

You only had a short timeframe to prepare for the Olympics last year when you were appointed. How are you feeling with only having another short runway leading up to the World Cup and Commonwealth Games?

KP: “I have seen what can be done in a really short space of time. The time doesn’t worry me. One of the things that we want to improve on from Tokyo is our ability to play under pressure. We want to be able to perform in those quarter finals, in semi finals and in a big final. So having another test really soon to do that at the World Cup and Commonwealth Games is really exciting.

I know we can get prepared in time. I know the character of the athletes coming in and the excitement, keenness and enthusiasm they bring. And I know the commitment of the Hockeyroos who have retained their spots, so the period of time doesn’t worry me – I see it as the next chance to show what we can do.”

Finally, considering how little high level match play athletes in the national programs have had since COVID, how much credit needs to go to the National Institute Network and National Athlete Pathways Program (NAPP) coaches for the work being done to ensure Australian hockey remains among the best in the world?

KP: “Huge credit needs to go to the institutes and those involved in the NAPP on the way they have nurtured and developed athletes, particularly over a really challenging past two years that has seen Australia play minimal international hockey. In particular with this squad we have selected, I want to single out the cooperation between the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) and Western Australia Institute of Sport (WAIS) to get Rebecca Greiner in the shape that she is in. Also to the South Australian Institute of Sport with Hattie, WAIS with Shanea and QAS for Claire.

What the whole network has done since COVID and the lack of competition - athletes have still developed. Bec Greiner and Shanea Tonkin have come from our National Development Squad and Claire Colwill and Hattie Shand have come from our National Junior Squad. The journey for the four athletes has all been different but it shows that if you work hard in those squads and in your Daily Training Environment, the rewards can come.”