Four Lower Great Southern Hockey Association juniors set for big stage ahead of national championships

Four Lower Great Southern Hockey Association juniors have been selected to compete at the Hockey Australia under-13 national championships in New South Wales this month. Spencer Park pair Evie Famlonga and Zoe Mills along with Bethel’s Ben Blechynden and Mt Barker’s Jethro Wright will all pull on State colours at the junior carnival held in Newcastle. The talented quartet will travel east for the championships held from September 23-29 and will face teams from NSW, Victoria, Northern Territory, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory and Queensland. They play ACT in their opening game on Saturday morning. Blechynden, 13, predominantly plays centre-half and said he was looking forward to playing with new teammates. Famlonga, 13, said she loved playing with teammates and was excited by the chance to travel for hockey. “I play full back so I really enjoy defending,” she said. “It will be good to meet new people and also play against really challenging teams.” Wright, 13, plays in defence and is also excited to be a part of a new experience. “I’m really looking forward to playing with new teammates and having plenty of fun playing hockey,” he said. Mills, 12, the youngest of the group, said she was ready to play wherever needed. “I can play pretty much anywhere, I usually play as an inside player but I think I’ll be playing half back at the carnival,” she said. “It will be a great new experience to play at a higher level.” LGSHA hockey development officer Dinah Gordon said it was a fantastic accomplishment to have a strong cohort of local junior representation. “It has been a great achievement for LGSHA to have such a big representation in this age group at State level,” she said. “It is also wonderful for the clubs they represent and they are very proud of these young players. “For the players, representing WA will be one of the most special memories and experiences they will have. “They have worked hard and travelled to Perth every weekend for the past term to attend team trainings.”