Reid achieves lifelong hockey dream on the world stage

TWEED hockey talent Jesse Reid has achieved her dream of representing Australia, making her Hockeyroos debut on tour in Europe.

The 24-year-old is the daughter of 1988 Olympic gold medallist and Hockey Australia legend Sharon Buchanan.

She came through Casuarina Hockey Club and helped Brisbane Blaze win the inaugural Hockey One League title in 2019.

Reid moved to Western Australia a few years ago and honed her craft playing professionally with the Perth Thundersticks.

She was originally called into the Hockeyroos squad as injury cover before heading to Europe for the current tour.

Hockeyroos coach Katrina Powell contacted her about the opportunity less than a week before the team flew out.

“It was 9.30 in the morning on an average Tuesday at work and I got a text message from Triny, asking if I could call her,” Reid said.

“I was secretly hoping I’d get the call-up and I did. It’s been incredibly exciting.”

It was a tough start to her international career, taking on world number one Netherlands in Amsterdam.

The Olympic champions sealed an 8-1 win, with Reid one of three players to make her debut for the Hockeyroos.

“The Dutch are a tough team to come up against for my debut,” Reid said.

“It’s definitely a higher intensity than I’ve ever played before and I’ve never played in front of a crowd that huge and that loud. But I couldn’t be more stoked with it.”

Tweed has long been a breeding ground for junior hockey talent, producing several players who have gone on to represent the Hockeyroos.

Sisters Madison and Savannah Fitzpatrick are among the most recent to feature in Olympic campaigns. Younger sister Kendra Fitzpatrick has played in the Australian A senior team with Reid and is part of the futures squad, where the Hockeyroos develop the next crop of talent.

The final games on the European tour were scheduled against Germany in Berlin on Sunday, June 22.