Hockeyroos berth in Hannah’s sights
SHE has proved pressure is no barrier to her performance. She has proved she can stand up in the clutch moments.
But even still, Townsville hockey product Hannah Astbury does not see an Olympic berth on her horizon.
The 22-year-old Brisbane Blaze goalkeeper was at her calm and collected best in the inaugural Hockey One grand final in November, standing up her opposite number in Hockeyroos great Rachael Lynch in the decisive penalty shootout against Melbourne.
However even after getting one over the most capped goalkeeper in Australian women’s hockey history, Astbury does not see the delayed Tokyo Olympics as an option for her.
“At the moment the next Olympics isn’t my focus, my focus is more on cracking the Hockeyroos squad then pushing for a first spot,” she said.
“I think I still have some room to improve and if I do all the right things post the Olympics it will look good for me.
“That’s the dream, that’s what you aim for as a kid. I think I’ve built consistency over the last 18 months performing under a bit more pressure, but it’s a completely different ball game when you get to international hockey.”
Astbury’s last time on the turf was with Australia’s development squad in Perth, where she spent two weeks training alongside the Hockeyroos.
There she fed off advice from Lynch and Ashlee Wells in the hopes of taking her game to the next level.
While the incumbent keepers may be on the wrong side of 30 and moving to a phase where professional athletes typically contemplate retirement, Astbury said the duo were still performing so admirably that her window for displacing them was barely ajar.
All she could do was focus on making herself better for when the time came to take her shot. “While age can be a factor, performance comes before that. I’m trying to see myself getting better rather than be the right age,” Astbury said.
“I learn more and more from them, they’ve been extremely supportive of me and I think they can see the next crop coming through looks promising. It’s definitely something I’ve thought about, it’s not really in my control whether they continue on.
“I just have to focus on myself, keep getting better and hopefully selectors see that.”
Time away from the game due to the coronavirus pandemic has definitely irked Astbury’s competitive itch as the up-and-coming star becomes more and more desperate to get between the goals again.
While the Hockey One’s second coming has been postponed until 2021, Astbury sees a glimmer of hope for the local levels.