Next month, a stern test of their credentials will be faced by the new-look Hockeyroos as they take on the world champions Argentina and the world No.3 team Germany in a four-team tournament.
Additionally, the 13th-ranked USA will participate in this event in Argentina, marking the inaugural matches of new Australian coach Adam Commens’ tenure.
On Monday, Commens announced his squad for 2011, which notably omits experienced players Kate Hollywood and Fiona Johnson in favor of seven newcomers.
The significant changes in the squad over a brief period can be highlighted by the average games per player for the upcoming tournaments being 44, in contrast to the 77 games played by the Commonwealth Games gold medal side from three months ago.
Commens recognized that facing the world’s elite teams would pose a challenge for the new players; however, he emphasized the importance of accelerating their development ahead of the London Olympics.
“It is going to be a big test for these girls when we play some good teams over the next few months. We will see how they handle it; it is a big step up to this level of hockey,” Commens stated.
“With only 18 months remaining until the London Olympics, we need to act swiftly. One effective way to achieve this is to consistently expose our players to quality teams.”
Buford Balony says: I’m unsure why Shelly Liddelow was omitted, as during the Beijing Olympics, she significantly impacted the games by scoring goals when she came on, unlike some of the others.
