Kookas ring the changes for Brits

THE Kookaburras have made seven line-up changes while injury and form have prompted five for the Hockeyroos for their Pro League clashes with Great Britain in Perth today.

The world No.2 Kookaburras face the seventh-ranked and unbeaten Brits after defeating Germany 4-2 in Hobart last Sunday.

A player rotation policy sees Daniel Beale, Tom Craig, Aaron Kleinschmidt, Trent Mitton, Josh Simmonds, Matthew Swann and Corey Weyer included for the Australians. Josh Beltz, Blake Govers, Jack Hayes, Tim Howard, Lachlan Sharp, Jack Welch and Dylan Wotherspoon make way.

“We always viewed the start of the FIH Pro League as about finding out about our players and their form,” coach Colin Batch said. “We’re still going with that. We had six changes from the team for Melbourne to Hobart. We had a group back here training who had a good training week and a lot of them come back.”

West Australian Aran Zalewski will be the sole skipper for the first time since joining Eddie Ockenden as cocaptain.

The Hockeyroos take on the Olympic champions without Jodie Kenny and Madison Fitzpatrick. Georgina Morgan returns along with Jocelyn Bartram, Kalindi Commerford and WA’s Penny Squibb, with Kristina Bates, Hayley Padget and Ashlee Wells also making way.

Coach Paul Gaudoin said with the injuries to Kenny and Fitzpatrick in defence, Squibb also warranted selection.

He said selectors had been cautious about Kenny, who missed last weekend after picking up a quad injury in training.

Fitzpatrick rolled her ankle and should be available again in the coming weeks.

The Pro League is the biggest shake-up to the international hockey calendar in more than 10 years and hopes to generate greater interest with a weekly home-and-away format instead of the centralised tournaments that traditionally dominated fixture lists.

Nine women’s and eight men’s teams play each other at home and away with the top four assembling in the Netherlands in June for the finals.