Darren Parkes, Hayden Mills and Paul Stobie relishing gold medal glory after country championships triumph

Their remarkable gold-medal performance at the Australian Country Championships last week is only starting to dawn on Lower Great Southern Hockey Association trio Darren Parkes, Hayden Mills and Paul Stobie. After finishing their pool games with a record of two wins, two losses and one draw, WA secured a 4-2 semifinal victory against New South Wales, who went undefeated in their pool games, before edging past hosts Victoria 1-0 in a rousing final. WA finished with a silver medal in last year’s championships in Albany after a 5-0 defeat by Queensland in the final. Parkes was captain of the gold-medal side and said the achievement’s significance had only just hit him. “It’s only just starting to sink in now that I’ve got home, coming away from silver last year at home and then going away to win that — it’s surreal,” he said. “You come home and talk to people about it. It’s been 11 years since WA have won it, so to make it happen and be the captain, it definitely gives you a little tingle. “It’s up there in terms of my achievements. “It’s actually one of the best teams I’ve ever gone away with.” After losses in their opening qualifying games to NSW and then Queensland, Parkes said the side had to make some changes. “In the first game we tried a structure that didn’t work and we watched some footage of what worked and what didn’t,” he said. “The NSW game (semifinal) played out perfect and we got one early which gave us some scoreboard pressure. “We had our chances just like them, and it was our day in the end.” Mills was initially named as a reserve in the squad but after two key injuries to WA personnel, the youngster was called upon. He played in last year’s championships but said this year he was able to play a more significant role in the tournament, held in Shepparton, Victoria. “It was a lot better this time — I had that extra experience and I was able to do more with the ball and it felt more like I was part of the team,” he said. “Being able to score and have an impact was really special. “It was one of the best feelings in hockey I’ve ever had in my life. “Just the excitement and being able to do it with a great bunch of blokes made it even better.” Stobie was representing WA for the first time, and said the experience was one he wouldn’t forget any time soon. “It’s really special,” he said. “The guys that we went away with were a ripper bunch of lads. “I probably haven’t been a part of a team that has gelled that well together in a short period of time. “That really showed in our improvement throughout the tournament, because of how well we all got on off the field. “We had a lot of self-belief in our second game against Queensland. “Even though we had a loss, we showed plenty of good signs in that game. “From that point on I really thought we were the team to beat in the competition. “This is certainly the absolute peak of my sporting career and I should probably just retire now.”