Kookaburra, NSW Pride gun Tom Craig says Hockey One will be a big hit
He travels the world playing for Australia but for Tom Craig there is nothing better than playing at home. It’s why he believes Hockey One will be a big hit.
Northern District Times
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He is representing his country around the world at major meets but for Kookaburra Tom Craig there’s nothing quite like playing at home.
Now Craig, based most of the year in Perth at the home of the Australian men’s hockey program, is heading back to Sydney to compete in the new Hockey One series for NSW Pride.
A member of the well-known Ryde Hunters Hill District Hockey Club, Craig can’t wait to play in front of family and friends in a series he believes will help showcase his sport at its best.
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“We get to come back and play with some of the younger players from NSW we never get to train with which is great,” Craig said.
“It’s also going to bring great hockey to Sydney.
“I had only ever seen the Kookaburras play once before I actually played for them.
“The thing with Hockey One is we will be able to play back at home with the people we love coming to watch. That’s really special.”
The Hockey One competitions is effectively the national league reinvented with Pride one of seven clubs represented in both the men’s and women’s competitions.
All rounds will be played as double-headers with NSW coached by former Kookaburra Brent Livermore and Hockeyroo Katrina Powell.
For Craig, Hockey One it is a great opportunity for him to reconnect with his old Ryde Hunters Hill Club - one of the most successful in Sydney.
The men’s and women’s NSW Pride teams boasts numerous players from the club, including Mikaela Patterson, Abigail Wilson, Morgan Blamey, Tim Brand, Craig, Lachlan Sharp and Sam Gray.
It is the most represented team in terms of athletes in both the men’s and women’s teams.
NSW Pride also boasts one of the strongest line-ups in the competition, with 19 current and former Hockeyroos and Kookaburras in the teams.
The new domestic league begins in the last week of September and will comprise seven home-and-away rounds, culminating in semi-finals and a double header men’s and women’s grand final day in November.
NSW Pride’s season kicks off on September 29 when the teams take on Adelaide Fire at Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre.
The club will play two further home games in October against the Tassie Tigers and Hockey Club Melbourne.