Under 13 hockey national championships see Grafton players star for NSW
An ice bath enjoyed only by “crazy boys” was part of the experience as Grafton’s rising talent soaked up the atmosphere at the national hockey championships. Back home, they reflect on a trip of a lifetime.
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Hot on the heels of legendary Kookaburra Brent Livermore, the Clarence Valley’s generation next of hockey stars is fast making its mark on the national stage.
Grafton has long been a regional hockey powerhouse, and the latest chapter in the valley’s storied history has just been penned as local youngsters donned NSW shirts at the Hockey Australia U13 Carnival in Hobart.
Meg Amos, Thomas Boehm, Max Oxenbridge, Zayden Third and Oscar Woods hit the Apple Isle after a two-day intensive training camp in Sydney.
The Tasmanian Hockey Centre was the venue for two NSW rep teams - the Stars and the Lions - who went up against the other state outfits.
The NSW Lions, including Grafton goalkeeper Oscar Woods as well as Zayden Third, placed fifth after winning five of their games, while the Stars triumphed in four matches.
The Girls Stars team included striker Meg Amos, and they won six of their games.
Meg Amos, 13, said she loved “meeting everyone and having a good time”.
Meg is already playing women’s first grade for McAuley, and coming from a hockey family, has been carving up onfield for six years.
The South Grafton High student knocked in three goals over the course of the tournament, including one in a 6-0 opening match rout of Victoria.
The young competitors were also treated as spectators to a Hockey One fixture between Tasmania and Brisbane, which is Australia’s premier domestic league from which the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos are selected.
Meg described Blaze attacker Ambrosia Malone as her favourite player, with the World Cup and Commonwealth Games medallist scoring the leveller to take the game to a penalty shootout.
“I really like how fast and skilful she is,” Meg said.
Oscar Woods, 11, is another Grafton local from a hockey-mad family, with mum Nicole also playing.
“I was a soccer goalie first, and really liked it, so in Year 3 I tried being a hockey goalie,” Oscar said.
The tournament in Tasmania brought a wealth of new experiences for Oscar, including his first recovery ice bath.
“It was so cold,” he said, “no one liked it except two of the crazy boys.”
Highlights for young Oscar included meeting hockey legend Jamie Dwyer, as well as receiving his first ever representative kit to show off to his friends.
“His puffer jacket had to be surgically removed!” mum Nicole joked.
Clarence Valley Council approved grants of $300 each to Boehm, Third and Woods as part of the Cultural and Sports Trust Fund at a meeting on September 27.
The trust provides financial support to a maximum of $300 for individuals to attend sporting events at a national level.
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