Strong training squads announced by Tassie Tigers

The Tassie Tigers have unveiled strong men’s and women’s training squads ahead of the Hockey One League season later this year including locals and internationals. Here’s who made it.

After missing the finals in 2022, the Tassie Tigers have bolstered their playing stocks in the both the men’s and women’s ranks ahead of their first Hockey One League home game against HC Melbourne on Friday, October 6.

Tigers men’s coach Stephen McMullen announced an interim squad of 30 athletes, headlined by five current Kookaburras in Eddie Ockenden, Josh and Hayden Beltz, Jack Welch and Jeremy Hayward.

The squad also features former NSW star Ehren Hazell and former New Zealand international Alex Shaw, among a glittering of Australian junior representatives from the Apple Isle.

“Hazell is a genuine goal scoring forward which is needed, because we only scored two field goals last season and had an over-reliance on set pieces,” McMullen said.

“We will add Ockenden to the forward line this campaign to compliment Welch, Hazell and McCulloch, and in return we’ll drop Gobind Gill and Josh Brooks back through the midfield and half lines.

“It’s fantastic to have some new players coming into the group, in particularly some of the best from the Premier League competition, which I feel is acknowledging the positive culture of the program.

“We also have some great emerging talent in Keenan Johnson, Magnus McCausland, Lachie Rogers and Max Larkin, not to mention the talented under-18s group that we have, so I feel it’s a well-balanced squad across the board.”

Esmee Broekhuizen. Photo: AAP Image

The women’s side, led by a new off-field team of Tim Strapp, Tim Stevens and Ian McHugh, have been strengthened by the significant signing of an England international to accompany their Hockeyroos star Maddi Brooks.

A bronze medal winner at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, 28-year-old Kathryn Lane will play in a strong defensive partnership with returning Tigers favourite Esmee Broekhuizen.

“We have a great group of off-field staff to create an excellent learning environment for the squad and I’m really excited to see the group come together and feel like they belong,” Strapp said.

“We will look to continue to develop our local talent, along with injecting a few additional international players, to drive the competitiveness of the squad.”

Talented stars Evie Dalton, Isabelle Kruimink, Taylor Brooks and Cami Vaughan have also been joined by returning stars Philly Bridley, Laura Spandler and Emily Donovan in the interim squad.

The Hockey One League runs for seven weeks, with Tasmania hosting double-headers against HC Melbourne (October 6), Perth Thundersticks (October 20) and the Adelaide Fire (November 11).

Hockey Australia’s announcement of a landmark new partnership with the Seven Network, which will see the best of Australian hockey broadcast live and free on Channel 7 and 7Plus, added plenty of buzz earlier this week.

Men’s squad: Joshua Beltz, Hayden Beltz, Harvey Bessell, Joshua Brooks, Henry Chambers, Tim Deavin, Jeremy Edwards, Gobind Gill, Jeremy Hayward, Ehren Hazell, Ruben Hoey, Alex Hogan-Jones, Keenan Johnson, Max Johnstone, Max Larkin, Joshua Mardell, Magnus McCausland, Sam McCulloch, Tyler McDonald, Joseph Murphy, Eddie Ockenden, Sam Payne, Lachlan Rogers, Alex Shaw, Oliver Smith, Oscar Sproule, Oliver Stebbings, Ewan Vickery, Jack Welch, Alistair White.

Women’s squad: Philly Bridley, Esmee Broekhuizen, Maddison Brooks, Taylor Brooks, Lauren Canning, Madison Clark, Lucy Cooper, Evelyn Dalton, Belen D’Esposito, Beth Dobbie, Emily Donovan, Janelle Featherstone, Zayna Jackson, Jemma Kenworthy, Isabelle Kruimink, Sophie Kruimink, Kathryn Lane, Louise Maddock, Pipi Martos, Sarah McCambridge, Kacee Ponting, Isabelle Sharman, Laura Spandler, Camilla Vaughan.