The Perth Thundersticks women put in an impressive performance to come away with a draw against the highly-rated Hockey Australia High Performance squad on Wednesday night.
The Thundersticks drew 2-2 with the High Performance squad who were stacked with a number of Hockeyroos.
Georgina Dowd and Jade van der Zwan scored for the Thundersticks to get their side the draw, while Georgia Wilson also stood out for Perth.
Thundersticks coach Phil Hulbert said his squad was very grateful to have the opportunity to face such a talented opposition on the eve of Hockey One.
“We are very lucky that we get to play some high-quality matches and to be able to play against some Hockeyroos is pretty invaluable,” Hulbert said.
Hulbert said his side was missing a few players through injury who will feature throughout the tournament.
The first-year coach said the team were on a mission to finely tune their game before their opening clash with the Adelaide Fire on October 1.
“We had quite a few people out with injuries tonight, so hopefully next week there will be a few back in,” Hulbert said.
“We are trying lots of different structural things, and you have to.
“You have got to try these things now because we are only two and a half weeks away from the first game.
“We just want to try as much as we can before the tournament starts.
“We are trying to continue to progress things and I think the more quality players we play with and against are helping, and the standard is just getting better.”
Hulbert said his side was coming along in leaps and bounds and things were starting to take shape for their title tilt at the highly-anticipated Hockey One.
“I am really happy with where the girls are at at this stage,” he said.
“There is always a bit of an unknown with how the other teams are going to be, but I am really comfortable with how we are playing.
“The effort and desire from the group is good, and I think a lot of them are really craving the high-level experience.”
The Perth Thundersticks will play the Hockey Australia High Performance squad on Wednesday, September 21, at 6pm at Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University.
Entry is free for the match and Hulbert encouraged local hockey lovers to get down and enjoy the spectacle put on by some of the best players the nation has to offer.
The Thunderstick’s first home game for the 2022 Hockey One tournament will be on October 1 against the Adelaide Fire, before later hosting the Brisbane Blaze on October 15, the Tassie Tigers on October 29.
The Perth Thundersticks need your support this Sultana Bran Hockey One League season, with our first double header to be played at Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University on Saturday 1 October. Show your support by purchasing a membership, securing your tickets or through our Perth Thundersticks Player Partnership Program. We want all of WA behind our elite-level men’s and women’s teams!