Hockey’s rising stars selected for statewide comp

These four Warwick young guns beat out dozens for their spot on the team.

RISING STARS: Warwick Hockey Association players Lachlan Groves, James Bourke, Tanner Henley, Cooper Rhodes to play for the Darling Downs team at Queensland Hockey Championships. Picture: social media

HOCKEY: Months of dedication to the sport has paid off for four of Warwick’s rising hockey superstars, who have been selected to represent their region in a statewide competition.

Young guns Cooper Rhodes, James Bourke, Tanner Henley, and Lachlan Groves will play for the U10s-12s Darling Downs team at the Queensland School Sport Hockey Championships in October.

Lauren Ryan was also selected as a shadow goalkeeper for the girls’ U10s-12s side.

Warwick Hockey Association participation director Angela Groves was at the trials in Toowoomba yesterday, and said the boys stood out from the dozens of athletes vying for a place.

“I think their fitness, skills, and strength out on the field was great, and we’re very lucky at the moment to have a good group of boys and girls in that age group,” Groves said.

“These kids have been training hard every week and playing a couple of games a week, and having that time before they went over to the trials has paid off.

“We’re usually lucky to get one kid selected up there every year, so to have four in the final 14 – they deserved to be seen in the trial, that’s for sure.”

The Warwick representatives will soon join the rest of their Darling Downs squad for weekly training sessions, with the potential to progress to the Queensland Schoolboys Team if successful.

Warwick Hockey Association president Carly Hansen said she was proud of all five junior athletes and to see the Rose City represented at a higher level of the sport.

“It’s really exciting – it’s been a while since we’ve had that many selected, and it’s really encouraging to see so many junior athletes from Warwick get that chance,” Hansen said.

“It’s a big boost for the kids who haven’t been able to play for so long, to be able to get in there and know that all the work they’ve done has paid off.”

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