Nine IAS Graduates feature in the selection of the Kookaburras and Australian Indoor Hockey Teams. Blake Govers, Kieran Govers, Tristan White and Flynn Ogilvie for the Kookaburras and Heath Ogilvie, Daniel Joliffe, Emma McLeish, Kyah Gray as well as Current IAS Coach Alex McKay in the Australian Indoor Sides. WITH the most impressive strike rate in international hockey, IAS Graduate Blake Govers is poised to be Australia’s biggest weapon in Rio. Govers has scored 24 goals from 26 games for the Kookaburras, adding to his tally in their three-nil series whitewash of Great Britain this week. A place in the Olympic squad for Brazil is almost certainly assured. In two games against the Brits, Govers nailed four goals, all from penalty corners. It makes him the most lethal flicking exponent since his brother & IAS Graduate Kieran – still fighting his way back from a chronic hip injury – burst on to the scene before the 2012 Olympics in London. Fellow IAS Graduates Tristan White and Flynn Ogilvie also played in the series in Perth, chasing selection in the squad for next month’s Champions Trophy, before the Olympics team is named. Kookaburras coach Graham Reid confirmed he had one eye on Olympics selections during the Great Britain series. “This is really to give everyone the chance to show their worth and for discovery ahead of both the Champions Trophy and the Olympic Games selection,” Reid said. Ogilvie has played 28 games for Australia, White has played 75 times. The Champions Trophy starts in London on June 10, with the Olympic squad to be finalised afterwards. Kieran, who played in the bronze medal-winning Kookaburras team four years ago, has played 116 games for 57 goals, but has undergone surgery for hip and related injuries during his career. He has been racing the clock for several months to be fit for a second Olympics campaign in Brazil later this year. Meanwhile, Blake and Kieran’s brother Scott has been chosen in the Australian indoor team, after being a standout at the national championships in Wollongong earlier this year. IAS Graduates Heath Ogilvie and Daniel Joliffe were also included, as well as Current IAS Coach Alex McKay. NSW and IAS Graduates Emma McLeish and Kyah Gray were picked in the Australian women’s team, and will also go to the Indoor World Cup in February 2018. Australian women’s coach Stuart Fenton said the Illawarra contingent had earned selection in the final teams. “As we begin the preparation process for the 2018 Indoor World Cup the emphasis will be on skill development, structures and most importantly increasing the international experience and depth of talent playing our great game,” he said. “We are getting more interest than ever in indoor hockey and we have some tremendously talented young players that will push for a spot on our next World Cup team.”
