STEERING THE SHIP

QFrom your experience postRio do you think you will be leading the Hockeyroos into the future?

AI got named captain for that period probably from after Rio until we finished the year. We’re getting a new coach as well and we have to get scholarships and stuff so I think when we get back to training we’ll vote in a leadership group again. Hopefully, I maintain my leadership. I’m not too concerned if I get the captaincy or not. I think it’s very much something that’s not a right, it’s a gift that you’re given by the group. So I’d love to be in the leadership group. I don’t really mind if I’m not captain again and I think there’s obviously a lot of girls who weren’t there in those last two tournaments that are senior players that I think are obviously deserving of being there. Hopefully I’m able to lead in some form.

QWhat’s your vision for the Hockeyroos moving forward?

AI think the good thing about a lot of senior people retiring is that you can form a different culture. Not that the one before was bad in any respect but obviously we need to change to be able to perform in world hockey, because we haven’t really got the results. I think we’ve got by, not on luck but good timing and Rio showed that we’re still quite inexperienced despite the number of senior players we have, so I think this next period is exciting in that we can change the Hockeyroos into what we want and what needs to happen and I guess get rid of the instabilities in the culture we did have before that possibly didn’t get addressed because we were hunting for a gold medal and it was too close to the Olympics. I think it’s good that we can reform the group and reform what we want to be as Hockeyroos.