Hockey: Claire Colwill and Jordan Bliss set to travel to Chile for Junior Women’s World Cup

Two of Mackay’s brightest hockey prospects, including an already established Hockeyroo, are set to descend on Chile for the Junior World Cup. Go inside their journeys to the top.

Claire Colwell may be taking on the Junior Women’s World Cup, but she’s already featured in a Women’s World Cup. Photo: Florencia Tan Jun/Gallo Images.

You will be hard pressed to find as much as an eyebrow raised in Mackay when Claire Colwill and Jordan Bliss take to the field at the Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup.

For the pair’s selection in Australia’s U21 Jillaroos side that’s set to travel to Chile shocked few.

These two mates aren’t kids catapulted to the top from a place of obscurity, rather long-established talents seemingly destined for success with work ethics to match.

Colwill, after all - despite only having just left her teenage years - already has 37 Hockeyroos caps to her name.

“She’s been in every (representative) side there ever is all the way through her hockey career,” marvelled Courtland Pace, current Arsenal A-grade coach and long-time coach of Colwill.

Jordan Bliss and Claire Colwill pictured in their U15 days after success with Queensland. The pair have featured in an abundance of representative sides together.

He recalls the day a slight 12-year-old rocked up to Arsenal’s senior training.

“It didn’t take long looking at her to know she belonged in A-grade at such a young age,” Pace said.

Despite her youth she was hurried through the ranks and flung into Mackay’s top flight.

It was a case of sink or swim, and a baby-faced Colwill took to A-grade hockey as a freshly-hatched turtle would the ocean.

“She spent five minutes on the field in her debut A-grade game, found it quite easy, went back out and scored a goal on debut,” Pace said.

But what set Colwill apart?

“She’s very aggressive, but also very smart, she’s always looking two or three lines ahead in the field,” he said.

“She plays very well with the game in front of her, that’s for sure.”

Colwill in action for the Hockeyroos. Photo: Florencia Tan Jun/Gallo Images

The Junior World Cup may be a step down from Hockeyroo duty, but Pace doesn’t expect that to phase Colwill.

“She loves hockey that much she’d never miss a tournament,” he said.

“And she gets to travel with one of her best friends in Jordan Bliss to go do it.”

Colwill and Bliss, who’s made her name as a goalkeeper, certainly know each other well. For almost every step Colwill has taken in her journey so far, Bliss has been by her side.

Melissa Sorensen, who, on top of playing alongside Bliss for the Norths A-grade side, has coached her at club, school, and representative level, recounts her tentative first steps into the sport.

“She was very good at a young age but didn’t have much idea of goalkeeping,” Sorensen said.

“After she got into the Queensland side her dad actually researched a lot and taught her the specifics of goalkeeping.”

Much like Colwill, Bliss never looked back once cracking the state underage sides early in her journey.

“She’s got an excellent temperament for goalkeeping,” Sorensen said.

Jordan Bliss in her goalkeeping element. Picture: Supplied.

“It’s not the easiest position, but she loves hockey so much and has so much fun out there.

“She doesn’t take too much to heart if things go wrong, she gets over it and moves on pretty quick, which you have to do if you’re the last line of defence.”

Bliss, who would win three A-grade premierships with Norths in her teenage years, also had a tremendous work ethic, Sorensen said.

“She was the goalkeeper and she would still do all the fitness with the field players, she never shied away from work,” she said.

Sorensen, who also coached Colwill at representative level from U10s, tells tales of the pair constantly pestering her via text, asking to train.

“They were the actual motivators to be trained. It wasn’t the coach chasing them, it was them,” she said.

She also believed both were well-placed to dominate the world stage in Chile.

“ (Colwill) should be able to dominate because of her experience at the senior level,” Sorensen said.

“(Bliss) will be excellent, seeing her playing for the Brisbane Blaze she’s one of the best keepers, she’ll have no problems.”

While Colwill and Bliss made the final World Cup team, Mackay’s Eddie Westcott and Kelley Walker were also included in the initial U21 men’s and women’s squads respectively.

The Junior Women’s World Cup runs from November 29 to December 10 in Santiago, Chile. The Jillaroos first game is November 30, 1am AEST vs Netherlands.