Jillaroos and Burras squads named for 2023 World Cup Qualifier

Stacia Strain and Jay Stacy, the respective coaches of Australia’s Under 21 Women’s and Men’s Hockey Teams (the Jillaroos and Burras), have announced their teams for the Oceania Junior World Cup Qualifiers in Canberra from 8-11 December 2022.

Teams of 18 athletes have been selected for the three matches against New Zealand’s Women’s and Men’s U21 teams.

The Jillaroos and Burras teams for the qualifiers feature both athletes who are eligible to compete at the 2023 Junior World Cup and athletes who will age out of the Under 21 age level at the end of this year.

For the Jillaroos, these matches will be the first internationals the team has played since February 2020 and Strain is excited by the prospect of bringing the cream of Australia’s best Under 21 female talent together.

“We have run a really robust selection process. It’s a very talented squad which includes some members of the National Development Squad,” said Strain.

“We have picked what we believe is in the best Under 21 side right now…obviously with an eye to the Junior World Cup but also rewarding girls who have performed well this year.

“We want to make sure we reward those players who do age out by giving them the deserved opportunity to play in these matches.”

The Burras recently returned after impressive performances at the Sultan of Johor Cup. There are 12 players in this Burras team who played in Johor, with Stacy also keen to give others a taste of international hockey.

“The selection of this squad wasn’t solely based on form because a lot of guys performed well in Johor,” said Stacy.

“The team selected for the JWCQ has little more focus on age qualification and being able to give some exposure to guys who didn’t go to Malaysia.

“New Zealand will provide great competition and our aim is to win the Qualification series to secure the best possible seeding position at the 2023 Junior World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.”

“Many of the players are eligible for the Junior World Cup next year so it’s a good opportunity to see them play a team like New Zealand.

“There are also guys in this team who will age out of the Under 21s at the end of 2022 so we wanted to give them some exposure at this level as well.”

Oceania receives two spots in the Junior World Cup. By virtue of no other countries competing in the qualifiers, Australia and New Zealand both automatically qualify for the 2023 tournament.

Despite the guaranteed qualification, Strain said the Jillaroos would be going all out to win against their Trans-Tasman rivals.

“We will be taking this tournament really seriously. There aren’t many opportunities for the Junior World Cup eligible girls to practise tournament mode, so for us it’s about making the most of the opportunity,” said Strain.

“A lot of these girls haven’t played for Australia, so for them to sing the national anthem, wear the green and gold…it’s about understanding what comes with that and what the Jillaroos and this pathway program is about.

“They are grateful and excited for the opportunity and hopefully this is an addictive taste for these athletes and they want to keep coming back for more.”

Similarly, Stacy will also use this tournament to assess the depth of Australian hockey at this age group.

“We learnt and grew a lot as a group through the Johor tournament. For the ones who were in Johor, these matches against New Zealand will be about implementation from the feedback and what they experienced,” said Stacy.

“For the players who weren’t in Johor, this is about exposing them to international hockey, seeing how they go and giving them an opportunity.

“It’s a tricky period because not all the Under 21 athletes are involved in the Hockey One League and there are guys who have played the whole way through, so they have had a heavy load.

“Once the Hockey One League is over we can focus on these matches against New Zealand and head to Canberra to continue learning and improving.”

The Jillaroos and Burras arrive in camp on Sunday 4 December before the first match day on Thursday 8 December.

Oceania Junior World Cup 2023 Qualifiers
National Hockey Centre, Canberra
Match Schedule
Thursday 8 December 2022
4.00pm AEDT - Jillaroos v New Zealand
6.30pm AEDT - Burras v New Zealand

Saturday 10 December 2022
1.00pm AEDT - Burras v New Zealand
3.30pm AEDT - Jillarooos v New Zealand

Sunday 11 December 2022
12.00pm AEDT - Burras v New Zealand
2.30pm AEDT - Jillaroos v New Zealand