Burras named for crucial pre-Junior World Cup showdown

Eighteen Burras have been named to contest the Sultan of Johor Cup in October, in what will be a vital, last-minute pre-Junior World Cup hit out, before the World Cup squad is named at the end of October.

Burras Head Coach Jay Stacy has made six changes to the squad that toured Europe in June, ensuring 26 of the 28 players in the National Junior squad have been tested ahead of selection.

“This tour is extremely valuable,” Jay said. 

“We’ve only been able to have 12 matches prior to the Junior World Cup, and it allows us to give two players their Burras debut, while giving us an excellent opportunity to look at the depth of the squad and help us narrow down our selections for November’s Junior World Cup in India.”

South Australian defender Bryce Hammond and Victorian striker Kade Leigh have earned their debut call-up after an impressive 2025 season. 

“Bryce Hammond's a strong, young player who's performed well at Under 21 level and was very dominant at the Under 18 National Championships in July, so he gets his first opportunity,” Jay added.

“And we’re looking forward to seeing Kade Leigh in action, who has been hampered by injury for some time. 

“He had a good season with Hockey Club Melbourne in the Hockey One League last year, and that saw him selected for the Junior World Cup Qualifiers at the start of the year, but due to injury, he had to withdraw, so he gets his opportunity to present his chances for selection in the Junior World Cup.”

The Burras will play six tournament matches and a preparation game against India, Pakistan, Great Britain, New Zealand, and Malaysia at the Sultan of Johor Cup, providing vital high-level international experience before the Junior World Cup from November 28 to December 10.

“We're going to a strong Sultan of Johor tournament, which will give every player and us as coaches a great opportunity to observe. We’ll be looking for successful combinations, what our specialist skills areas look like, team balance, and general team cohesion.

“The Burras are a competitive bunch. We make it a competitive group, but they perform within a strong culture. They know that the team comes first, they know what they have to do, and we don't expect anything special beyond their skill level. 

“They just need to be able to bring their A-grade game under pressure because at the Junior World Cup, we're going to be playing in a high-pressure environment, and they need to be ready for that. So that's what we're trying to build.”

Australia will face France, Korea and Bangladesh in Pool F, in the expanded men’s competition which now features 24 teams. 

More information on the Men’s Junior World Cup in India can be found here.