Olympic hockey gold medallist Nova Peris plying her trade at age 49 alongside daughter Destiny

NOVA Peris’ return to A-grade hockey at the age of 49 has a lot to do with family

Nova Peris and her daughter Destiny have formed part of the strike force at Darwin Hockey League club Nightcliff. Picture: Supplied.

NOVA Peris’ return to A-grade hockey at the age of 49 has a lot to do with family.

The first indigenous Australian to win an Olympic gold medal as a Hockeyroo at Atlanta 96, Peris has already pencilled her name into national sporting folklore.

She won more hockey gold at the 1994 World Cup and was involved in two Champions League triumphs.

Commonwealth Games gold in the 200 metres and 4x100m sprint events at Kuala Lumpur 98 means the Peris honour board is full.

But while those achievements were result of drive and ambition, her return to Darwin hockey was not.

In Darwin to escape the COVID-19 pandemic, the possibility of playing hockey with her daughter Destiny at DHL club Nightcliff Uni Tigers stirred some emotions.

Destiny graduated from high school after boarding in Sydney for six years.

“She played hockey for NSW and the whole six years she was away I never taught her one skill,’’ Peris said.

“She pretty much did it all on her own, so when we moved up here during COVID and went to hockey training I had no ambitions of playing A-grade.

“So I thought ‘OK they’ll put me in B-grade’ but (club president) Kelly Skippings thought it would be a beautiful thing for me to play with my daughter.’’

For Nova it was a rare opportunity to play sport at a high level with Destiny.

“I went to training and my body got through OK, which led me to thinking was I really going to play A-grade,’’ she told the NT News.

“But I held my own, even if my body doesn’t move as fast as it used to.

“But the skills are still there and it also means I can help with the juniors and that’s been a lot of fun.’’

Peris was “about four or five years old’’ when she started playing hockey at the old Alawa Hockey Centre.

“It was Banks back then and I played the game with mum (Joan) and my aunties and uncles.

“It’s a big family sport and over the last decade or so my younger cousin Brooke, who plays with the Hockeyroos, has been at Nightcliff-Uni and it’s why the family has moved over there.’’

Peris scored her first goal back in senior company in last week’s 7-3 win over Palmerston Saints with a cleverly taken penalty flick.