Easts Hockey Club star Mark Knowles becomes just the fifth person to play 300 games for Australia

Easts Hockey Club star Mark Knowles becomes just the fifth person to play 300 games for Australia.

Australian Kookaburras v Pakistan hockey international - Australian player Mark Knowles.

It gets dry in Rockhampton, summer or winter, and the unrelenting sun takes its toll on parched sporting fields.

But those sunburnt grass hockey ovals were a field of dreams for Easts Hockey Club star Mark Knowles who late last month became just the fifth person to play 300 games for Australia.

Knowles, 33, from Carina, said when he coaches children and they complain about playing on green grass ovals instead of comfortable synthetic fields, he thinks back to where he started.

“I refer to my playing days on an old cow paddock,’’ he laughed. “I say to them: Jamie Dwyer, probably the greatest of all time, grew up playing on grass in Rockhampton – it puts it into perspective for the kids who get it a little easier these days.’’.

It was hard work then in Rocky and it has never stopped being hard work despite the glittering heights of an Olympic gold medal (2004) and a World Cup gold medal (2014). But it has been worth the sweat.

He said the Olympic gold was the highlight but “I say that carefully’’ because he cherishes the 2014 World Cup campaign. Why? “Because of the role I played and the way the team conducted ourselves, the way we handled pressure being No. 1 in the world. The way we played had never been done before.’’

By his side every step of the way have been his parents, Ryan and Barbara.

They saw his first game and they saw his 300th in exotic South Africa recently.

Knowles said he was proud to reach the 300 club for Australia. “It was pretty special over there. It hit home to me how special the journey has been. Growing up in Rocky on the grass fields, it (300) is not something you think will happen.

“I have been inspired by certain people in the past – my parents saw my debut and have followed my career closely. It (300 mark) was special not just for me, but for so many other people.’’

He may have travelled the world and lived for years in Perth, but Knowles is a Queensland boy from his boots to the top of his head.

And it feels just right for him returning to Easts this season from Perth, as it is the club where he started in 2004 before his career spiralled from one milestone to the next.

“We always knew we would return,’’ he said. “It is awesome to be back playing with Easts in a family club environment, something I missed a little in Perth.’’

Easts is where his wife, Kelly, played, and the oldest of his three children has started playing.

They say home is where the heart is, and for an elite athlete who has been around the world and back, Knowles’ heart has always been in Queensland and at Easts.

He is home at last.