Ferns earns golden glow
TOWNSVILLE’S rising hockey star Alyssa Ferns has returned from the Hockey Australia under-18s National Championships after a golden week.
Ferns played in the midfield with the Queensland side which pulled off a remarkable comeback in the dying stages of the gold medal match against the New South Wales Blues.
Down 2-0 midway through the final quarter, Queensland managed to put away three goals in the final six minutes to clinch the gold.
Ferns was at the centre of it all, distributing the ball with speed and skill out of the middle third of the field at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre.
While she has only recently made the move to southeast Queensland to play for Redcliffe in the highly competitive Brisbane Hockey League, Ferns worked closely with Townsville Hockey Association regional coaching director Nathan Doherty before the championships.
“Her strength and her character speaks for itself,” Doherty said.
“When she trains she is 100 per cent committed to her goals. She does not train just for training’s sake.
“To make it to the under-18s side is an achievement in itself, it is a dog-eat-dog world there, but then to be able to showcase her talent at that level is really great.
“Her intensity to her training is what makes her a great hockey player and she is taking all the right steps to make it to the next level.”
Doherty was quick to praise fellow Townsville hockey identities including Dale Agnew, who were part of Ferns’ growth and development as a junior player.
Ferns has her sights set on higher representative honours with the Australian Country under-21 side but will first suit up for the Northern Storm in the Poligras Super League from May 4-6.
The Storm will include several players from the four northernmost hockey associations, including Townsville, Cairns, Atherton and Mt Isa.
“That is her chance to go back-to-back with her performances and really prove her ability,” Doherty said.
“It is certainly not out of her reach and is going to be a good challenge as she aims to match pace and skill with the best hockey players in the state.”