Burras team announced for FIH Junior Men’s World Cup

A 20-player Burras (Australian Under 21 Men’s Hockey) team brimming with talent has been selected for the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023 being held in Kuala Lumpur from 5-16 December.

Of the players selected, 15 are currently on JDH Hockey One League squad lists. The Burras will be captained by Victorian Craig Marais at the prestigious Under 21 Men’s tournament.

Marais is the solitary capped Kookaburra in the team, which also includes 17 year old wonderkid Toby Mallon, who has been balancing his hockey commitments with completing Year 12.

From the 20 players selected, the final 18 who will travel to Kuala Lumpur will be announced on 17 November, as well as the two non-travelling reserves.

Burras Head Coach Jay Stacy said he is extremely pleased with the group that has been assembled.

“It has been a long process…over two years to get to this point and giving opportunities to some younger players coming through,” said Stacy.

“We have finally narrowed it down to a team with a skillset that we think can go deep at the Junior World Cup.”

“It’s exciting with our recent performances at the Sultan of Johor Cup. Losing the Final in a shootout to Germany who are one of the world’s top nations, we’re excited by the growth and continual improvement we’ve had right through our preparation.”

“We saw some significant development from our European tour earlier in the year and there has been some notable growth among the group.”

“The players want to show you what they’ve got but we always reflect that it is a team first attitude. We have a saying in the Burras that whatever action you perform in the game, you’re trying to help the guy beside you have his best day. That team first attitude is significantly important.”
 
“I think we’ve got a really deep squad and have ticked a lot of boxes in each of the areas. That’s why selection becomes difficult. We want to have that difficulty but we’re looking at the right balance to bring all of that together to be successful at the tournament.”

The Burras have won the Men’s Junior World Cup once back in 1997, while Australia also secured three silver and two bronze medals in the history of the competition. The Burras missed the last Junior World Cup in 2021 due to COVID restrictions.

The Burras’ first pool match is a blockbuster against defending champions Argentina, before taking on Chile and hosts Malaysia. The top two teams at the end of the pool stage progress to the quarter finals, with the Final to be played on 16 December.

Every match of the tournament will be shown on Watch.Hockey.

FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
5-16 December 2023
Pools
Schedule and results

Burras Pool Matches
Argentina v Burras
5 December (4:00pm local time, 7:00pm AEDT)

Burras v Chile
6 December (6:00pm local time, 9:00pm AEDT)

Burras v Malaysia
8 December (8:00pm local time, 11:00pm AEDT)