WA’s newest national team have announced their final men’s squad ahead of the new Hockey One competition starting in Perth on Sunday September 29.
The men’s squad includes five national players expected to feature in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
Jake Harvie, Tyler Lovell, Trent Mitton, Tom Wickham and Aran Zalewski make up a quarter of the 20-man squad set to take on the other states and territory sides in the new format.
Trent Mitton, at 29, is the veteran of the side, celebrating a decade since being part of the 2009 Australian Hockey League side, the competition Hockey One is replacing.
Frazer Gerrard and Liam Flynn from the National Development Squad and Under 21 representatives James Collins, Dane Gavranich and Brayden King, who was the 2019 Under 21 Player of the Tournament, have also been selected.
Coach Alistair Park, himself a former Thundersticks player said “This is a team that we feel is building for the future with an average age of just over 24. We hope that the bulk of this side will form the nucleus of the Thundersticks for the years to come”.
Hale and UWA are the best represented clubs with four players each in the squad, while Westside Wolves and WASP’s have three each.
Brandon Gibbs reinforces the ‘Hockey Family’ history of the sport, joining his younger sister Annie, who has been chosen in the women’s squad.
Perth Thundersticks play games at the Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University on the following dates:
Sunday 29 September v Melbourne Hockey Club
Saturday 12 October v Canberra Chill
Saturday 26 October v New South Wales Pride
In addition, they play three away games with all games streamed live on Kayo Sports.
Single game tickets and season memberships are available through Ticketek.