Port Macquarie Hastings Hockey Association stars feature in NSW state hockey selection

The Port Macquarie-Hastings Hockey Association quartet impressed the right people enough at last weekend’s hockey selection trials to be selected for NSW.

Camden Haven’s sister duet may not have too much time to spend together with Eve picked in the Stars team alongside coaching duo Danni Cox and Ang Van Zealand.

Sister Teleah along with Zara made the girls Lions team while Bayden progressed to the boys Stars team.

PMHHA president Simon Thresher was pleased to see more local players make the final cut after only Smith and Cox (as coach) had progressed 12 months ago

“What we’re doing is working,” Thresher said.

“We’re getting noticed at the state level and hopefully next year we’ll get noticed at national level when the kids go away.”

Thresher was pleased to see Teleah’s hard work over the last 12 months rewarded.

“She was in the squad last year but missed out on (final) selection so she’s put the hard work in during the off-season and she’s got across the line this year,” he said.

“The two sisters are off to Hobart together.”

They were picked in separate teams which could see them go head to head on the field.

Thresher said it was important to note the 32 players selected in the two teams of 16 would not be separated into a main team and then a second team.

“Hockey NSW reinforced that it’s not an A and a B team, they’re evenly split,” Thresher said.

The PMHHA president said it had been a successful weekend even for those who missed selection.

“To see that group of kids progress over this season from the initial camps and to make this squad, it’s an indication of how well the coaches and managers are looking after the kids,” he said.

“It’s preparing them for these high-level events.”

The benefit of having the second field available had also benefited the local players by giving them more room to train and improve their skills.

It meant every Sunday could be put aside for specific representative training.

“From eight o’clock in the morning to three o’clock in the afternoon has just been for rep training so these kids who are slightly better can push themselves a bit more,” Thresher said.

“They’ve had a good solid six to 10 weeks of training before they went away in the rep environment so the second field has opened up that avenue for them.

“In the past we’ve been cramped to a quarter field for 20 kids and now we can open the whole facility up.

“I think that’s paid off in the amount of kids that have been selected.”