IAS Southern Phone Hockey Squad Graduate Blake Govers has taken another giant step towards competing at the 2016 Olympic Games by earning a place in the Kookaburras squad for next month’s World League series. The 18-year-old goal-shooting whiz made his debut in the national men’s side during the Hobart International Challenge earlier this month and was on Tuesday named among an 18-man squad for the trip to Belgium. He is easily the youngest member of the group, and one of just four players not in the team that won the World Cup last year. He is also one of three Wollongong products to make the squad, with older brother Kieran Govers and Tristan White. Blake earned his spot in the touring squad with an impressive campaign down in Tasmania with the Australian team. He scored in each of his three appearances – against Pakistan, New Zealand, and Korea – enough to force selectors to pick him. “It’s a massive achievement to get named in [the squad],” Govers said. “It was a good first step [in Hobart], now it’s obviously going to be even better quality opposition. “It’s a chance to see how I handle the next step.” Kookaburras coach Graham Reid was impressed with Govers’ international debut. He hopes the teenage talent can take confidence from it to Belgium. “We brought him in for the Hobart games and he performed pretty well,” Reid said. “He’s a class drag-flicking option and we want to see how he will handle this level.” Coincidentally, Kieran Govers is due to play his 100th capped game for Australia when they line up against Great Britain in a lead-up Test on June 13. Blake says it will be special if they can be share the moment side-by-side on the field. Kieran has been sidelined for the past month with injury and missed Hobart, but has returned to full training in time for the World League. “He’s now back into full training, he wasn’t too bad in Tassie, he was doing light duties,” Blake said. “But now that he’s back at 100 per cent he’s more pumped than ever. “It was good for him to zone out a bit, now it will be a good restart to get his 100th game.” Blake is currently back home in Wollongong but will fly to Perth later this week to rejoin the national squad. They will fly overseas in June and play two Tests against Great Britain in London, before heading to Belgium for the World League series. If Australia finishes anywhere in the top three at the end of the tournament, they automatically qualify for the Olympics Games in Rio next year. The Kookaburras will re-pick their entire squad in July and Blake knows he must contribute in Belgium to earn his place in the group for Rio.
