Teen to wear green and gold

By Lachlan Ellis

A rising star in the field hockey scene will be wearing green and gold next month, and she’s from Moorabool Shire.

Darley’s Zali Ward was named in the national side’s National Development Squad in March, and was part of the Victorian Women’s Premier League champions Essendon side in September – and now she’s been named in the squad taking on New Zealand in two weeks.

The 19-year-old was named in the 18-person Australian Under 21 Women’s squad, also known as the Jillaroos, on 7 November, with the team beginning the Oceania Junior World Qualifiers in Canberra on Thursday 8 December.

She said being selected in the national squad was a dream come true.

“It’s pretty exhilarating to think about the fact I’m able to represent my country, especially at a junior level. It’s an exciting time as an up-and-coming athlete, there’s a lot of opportunity to grow my confidence,” Ms Ward told the Moorabool News.

“My family and friends are over the moon too, they’re super proud and all their support over the years, and their encouragement to keep going and follow my dream, has really paid off.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, it doesn’t really happen I think until you step onto the pitch. At the moment, I’ll just focus on my role and hopefully gel into the team quite well, that’s the aim.”

Ms Ward is also in the middle of the Hockey One finals playing for HC Melbourne, after which she will take part in two weeks of training and then heading to camp on Sunday 4 December.

By virtue of there being two spots for Oceanian teams, and Australia and New Zealand being the only two Oceanian teams competing in the qualifiers, the Jillaroos will automatically qualify for the World Cup, but Jillaroos coach Stacia Strain said the team will still be “taking the tournament really seriously”.

“There aren’t many opportunities for the Junior World Cup eligible girls to practise tournament mode, so for us it’s about making the most of the opportunity. A lot of these girls haven’t played for Australia, so for them to sing the national anthem, wear the green and gold…it’s about understanding what comes with that and what the Jillaroos and this pathway program is about,” Ms Strain said.

The Jillaroos play New Zealand on 8 December, 10 December, and 11 December, and the 2023 Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup kicks off in Santiago, Chile next December.