Commonwealth Games gold medalist and IAS Graduate Tristan White has welcomed a new era for the Kookaburras after coach Graham Reid named his first national squad for the end of year Champions Trophy on Tuesday. Reid stepped into the top job after legendary coach Ric Charlesworth retired with a gold medal at this year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Reid introduced a number of new faces – including another IAS Graduate Flynn Ogilvie – in his 27-man squad ahead a four-match series against India in Perth next month. White welcomed the new blood as Reid puts his stamp on the team. ‘‘We’ve had Graham for a while as our assistant [coach] but he’s brought in a few younger guys for this tour so it definitely feels like we’re building towards a new group,” White said. ‘‘We’ve had a few retirements after this year and a few of the guys are getting on in age and aren’t going to be around for too long. If we’re going to start building towards Rio [in 2016] we need to start blooding some young guys now so they get some experience.” White said the selections of Ogilvie alongside fellow NSW rookies Matthew Dawson and Tom Craig were an added bonus. ‘‘Personally I’m really happy because there’s a couple of young NSW guys who I’ve been hoping would get a shot in the near future,” White said. ‘‘It’s probably come earlier than I expected but I’m really happy especially for the young Wollongong guy Flynn Ogilvie. ‘‘I play all my club hockey down here and in Sydney with him so I’m really happy for him and a couple of the other young NSW guys who’ve been playing well enough to be there.” Albion Park young gun and another IAS Graduate Blake Govers has also been invited to attend the camp in Perth after top scoring for NSW in the recent Australian Hockey League. ‘‘It’s unreal for [Govers] as well. He’s only 18 so to be put in that system at such a young age…he’s going to do a lot of good things,” White said. Reid’s 27-man squad will be cut to 18 following the four-match series in Perth ahead December’s Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar, India. White expects the host nation to be seeking some revenge after losing to the Kookaburras in the gold-medal match in Glasgow. ‘‘They definitely will be, especially at home in Bhubaneswar,” White said. ‘‘It’s a pretty tricky place to play; I’ve played there before … they’ll have an advantage over us there. It’ll be a challenge but I think we can definitely take it home.” IAS Graduate Kieran Govers, a 99-Test veteran, was not considered for selection as he is recovering from hip surgery.
