SYDNEY, Dec 20: Australia have included three debutants with a view to next year’s Beijing Olympics in their squad for next month’s five nation field hockey tournament in South Africa.
National coach Barry Dancer has omitted senior players, Jamie Dwyer, Brent Livermore, Bevan George and Matthew Wells, from the team which finished second to Germany in the Champions Trophy in Malaysia.
This will give an opportunity to newcomers, Chris Ciriello, Daniel Hotchkis and Simon Orchard, with Dancer saying the trio have chances to be selected in the Olympic squad. “They are all long term prospects but a good performance at this tournament followed by more good hockey at the AHL will make them just as likely to be selected in the Olympic squad as anyone else.”
Squad: Desmond Abbott (7 games 3 goals), Kiel Brown (15/0), Nathan Burgers (7/0), Chris Ciriello (0/0), Luke Doerner (71/40), Russell Ford (25/6), David Guest (54/12), Rob Hammond (127/12), Josh Hawes (51/0), Daniel Hotchkis (0/0), Fergus Kavanagh (11/0), Mark Knowles (94/5), Daniel McPherson (11/0), Eli Matheson (13/4), Eddie Ockenden (34/6), Simon Orchard (0/0), Grant Schubert (116/58), Andrew Smith (91/38).—AFP
