Peel region-based pair Marshall Puzey (Halls Head) and Bree Johnson (Pinjarra) will find themselves donning black and gold uniforms when they represent Western Australia’s under 21s teams at the 2018 National Championships in July.
The duo are no strangers to representing WA on the national stage, with both having competed at several Australian national championships in the past.
Both played crucial roles in helping WA’s under 18 men and women to bronze medals at last year’s championships, with Puzey captaining the men while Johnson was part of the women’s leadership group.
The Peel Hockey products will now be out to continue Western Australa’s recent success at the championships, this time with the under 21s.
Last year, WA’s under 21 sides ensured they would both fly home from the 2017 National Championships with medals following a dramatic final day of action.
The state’s women marked the end of an impressive campaign with a narrow 2-1 loss to New South Wales in the gold medal match while WA’s men claimed the bronze in a thrilling shootout after bouncing back from missing out on a spot in the final because of goals scored.
Olympians Dean Evans and Lindsey Wright will coach the men and women respectively.
“My key objective for the group is to find that balance between having success in the tournament and ensuring that individual players can achieve their potential and aim for higher honours,” Evans said.
“I’m excited to work with this group of very promising players.”
Wright, who represented South Africa more than 200 times and competed at two Olympic Games, said she would be coaching more than just on-field fundamentals.
“I’m a very passionate coach when it comes to team ethos and cultural framework,” she said.
“I want to encourage players to be the best that they can be. If that comes in terms of results that would be fantastic, but I want to challenge them and motivate them to reach a higher standard.”
The 2018 under 21 Australian Championship will kick off in Sydney on Wednesday, July 4, wrapping up a week later on July 11.