Coast connection shooting for gold
AS kids growing up at Cabarita Beach on the Tweed Coast, Savannah and Madison Fitzpatrick began dreaming of one day representing their country.
Entrenched in hockey-mad northern NSW and playing club matches with Casuarina Beach, the Fitzpatricks quickly emerged as stars of the future.
They represented Queensland together from juniors through to open age and then went on to the green and gold.
Now there is a distinct possibility the Fitzpatricks could add the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games to their list of sibling achievements.
The pair was named in a 25strong Australian squad to prepare for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Two years later the Tokyo Olympics are on and by then the Cabarita connection should be at the peak of their powers.
Did the sisters ever think that playing together at such major hockey tournaments together would eventuate?
“I think that was always our dream and because we’re close in age and we made teams together we always thought it was definitely a possibility,” 20-year-old Madison said. “But it’s pretty amazing when it’s all happening.
“We talked about it as young girls but now it’s happening it’s all a bit overwhelming.”
Savannah, 22, actually followed her younger sister into the national squad and played with her for the first time against Korea in 2015.
Since then they have been together for internationals against China, the Junior World Cup in Chile and the International Festival of Hockey in Melbourne last month.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do to be involved in the Commonwealth Games but definitely Tokyo is on the cards,” Savannah said. “There’s a new Australian coach and squads are being changed around – and there’s a World Cup in London next year.”
Hockey runs strongly in the Fitzpatrick household.
Dad Scott was a Kookaburra in the 1990s and mum Margaret played up to state level and still coaches.