Territorian Brooke Peris is brimming with confidence in her squad in the lead up to the Tokyo Olympics

TERRITORY Hockeyroos’ star Brooke Peris is more than ready to take on the challenge of the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games

Brooke Peris can’t wait to get stuck into another Olympics with the Hockeyroos. Photo: Simon Watts

TERRITORY Hockeyroos’ star Brooke Peris is more than ready to take on the challenge of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Peris is no stranger to the Olympics having made her debut on sports biggest stage in the 2016 Rio Games.

The Hockeyroos made it to the quarter finals on that occasion with New Zealand ending their potential medal run.

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And with the Tokyo Olympics only a couple of weeks around the corner Peris is once again brimming with excitement.

“I’m super excited and ready to go. We’re heading to Darwin which will be a great sendoff for us,” Peris said.

“There’s a real confidence in each other and the game plan that we have set for ourselves.

“That’s the best way to go into an Olympics. Everyone is getting around each other and everyone knows what their job is.”

In Rio it was the atmosphere that most captured Peris’ imagination with family and friends travelling from far and wide to watch her compete on the biggest stage of all.

But the atmosphere will be different in Tokyo with Covid restrictions blocking overseas spectators, something the Australian squad have been preparing for.

“It was incredible in Rio to look around at games and see friends and family there to cheer us on,” Peris said.

“We won’t have that this year and that’s something we’ve been preparing for. We know that we will be isolated and we know we will need to adapt to uncomfortable situations.

“The positive of the delays is that we had extra time to train together and more time to really focus on what we want to achieve.”

The Hockeyroos and Kookaburras have centered their final training camp in Darwin where they will train in the Top End heat in preparation for what’s to come in Tokyo.

It’s a great chance for Territory juniors currently in their school holiday program to get a good look at some of their sporting heroes.

Being a role model of this kind for young Territorians is hugely important for Peris who herself was inspired by her aunt Nova Peris, the first Indigenous athlete to win Olympic gold in 1996.

The younger Peris is committed to being that role model herself with the next generation of Territory hockey already emerging with the under-18 girls winning bronze in the national championships earlier this year.

“It’s super important for to be a role model. It’s important that we try to do as much as we can to get these juniors into hockey,” Peris said.

“Nova was my role model. She was the first one in our family that did it and made me believe that I could to.

“Watching those juniors earlier this year achieve in the final was super exciting because they’re the next generation and I have to encourage them as I was encouraged.”