Experience bows to youth
EXPERIENCED players Kirstin Dwyer and Georgia Nanscawen are set to miss the Commonwealth Games and World Cup after being left out of the Hockeyroos’ 2018 squad.
But it’s better news for one Tweed Heads product, with Savannah Fitzpatrick suddenly on the verge of a home tournament.
London Olympian Anna Flanagan, capped 166 times for Australia, has also missed squad selection despite a strong domestic campaign on her return to the sport from a break.
Coach Paul Gaudoin has cast an eye to the 2020 Olympics in selecting youngsters Lily Brazel and Fitzpatrick, who both have fewer than 20 caps but represent the future of the squad.
The non-selection of Olympians Dwyer and Nanscawen removes 337 international games of experience from the side.
“The squad that we’ve selected is one that we think can help us achieve our performance benchmarks in 2018 but it’s also a squad that can develop to achieve podium performance in Tokyo,” Gaudoin said.
The Australian women’s team, ranked fourth in the world, will contest the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April and World Cup in London in July-August in a big season for the game.