Malone holds hope
ROSIE MALONE HAS JUST MADE HER NATIONAL HOCKEY DEBUT – BUT AN EVEN BIGGER PRIZE COULD BE AHEAD, AS LEARNS
ALL that Gold Coast hockey dynamo Rosie Malone can do now is sit back and wait to learn if she will be a part of her home town Commonwealth Games in April.
It is a long shot that Malone will make the final 18-player Australian Hockeyroos squad for the Games but while there is life there is hope for the diminutive forward.
Malone is back on the Coast today after playing in a four-match series between Australia and Spain in Perth where she made her Hockeyroos debut and played in three of the internationals.
From all accounts Malone did not look at all out of place
in the elite company.
Most certainly the Burleigh club junior product returned from WA pretty happy with what she did in front of national selectors.
She featured in 1-1 draws in the first two matches, missed a 3-2 win on Saturday night
but played in the 0-0 draw on Sunday night.
“I was pretty happy with my form but definitely the last game (Sunday) was my best game, I really enjoyed it,” she said.
“But obviously with all the selections coming up there’s
nothing I can do about it now.
“Looking back I’m happy with how I went overall.”
Malone was among four young talents invited to Perth for the Spain series.
Two of them are set to fill places in the Hockeyroos squad of 27 which will be cut to the 18 for the Games in late February or early March.
Until then it’s a matter of a short rest, then resuming training at the QAS for Malone.
“All I can do is wait for an email or whatever some time in the next week so my fingers will be crossed that I’ve done enough to get the call,” Malone said.
“If it happens it happens.” Also in line for Games selection are the Fitzpatrick sisters – Savannah and Madison – from Cabarita on the Tweed Coast.
Savannah was in the series against Spain but Madison missed out because of a shin injury.