Zali in Hockeyroos squad for Pro League matches

BACCHUS Marsh hockey star Zali Ward has been selected in the Hockeyroos squad to take on either Spain or China – or both – in Block 2 of the FIH Pro League in Hobart this week and next.

Ward, 22, of Darley, is one of just four Victorians in the 20-player squad and is believed to be the first ever national hockey candidate from the Moorabool region.

She flew to Tasmania on Monday and is busy doing school clinics for the national team during the day and training by night, and is doing no media until after the tournament.

The Block 2 games provide an opportunity for returning internationals and emerging talent to step on to the international stage on home soil at the Aurora Energy Tasmanian Hockey Centre.

Eight of the best teams in the world are touring Hobart, including the Hockeyroos and the Kookaburras, in two weeks of international competition.

For the first time in FIH Pro League history, Australia is hosting back-to-back stages with all matches being played at the Aurora Energy Tasmanian Hockey Centre between 10 and 25 February.

The FIH Hockey Pro League is an annual global competition involving hockey’s best national men’s and women’s teams in the world.

The team accumulating the most points at the end of the league event is crowned champion and receives the FIH Hockey Pro League Trophy.

The winning men’s and women’s teams will also qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

 

 

As well as Ward, Block 2 will also mark potential first national appearances for Mihaylia Howell, Camryn Mathison, Alyssa Smith, Georgie Smithers and Georgina West.

The other Victorians in selection contention are Sophie Taylor, Olivia Downes and Rebecca Greiner.

The Hockeyroos are scheduled to play Spain at 5.30pm on Friday, China at 3.30pm on Sunday, Spain again at 5.30pm next Monday, and China once more at 5.30pm next Wednesday.

All matches can be watched live on 7Plus.

Ward has played in the Australian Hockey One League for HC Melbourne for the past four seasons.

In the 2025 campaign, she showcased her dynamic pressure and creative flair as both a midfielder and striker, helping HC Melbourne to reach the national league final where it lost to Perth in a close finish.

She spent three years in the under-21 Australian team known as the Jillaroos and has now been elevated to the broader 40-player Hockeyroos squad after being named as a member of the 2026 Hockey Australia National Women’s High Performance Squad in December last year.

Most recently, Ward produced an impressive display for Australia A earlier this month against Japan.

 

 

Ward was a relatively late starter in hockey, taking it up as an 11-year-old, but by the time she turned 13 she had become a national champion for the Victorian under-15 team, followed by many more Victorian National Championship team appearances in her teenage years.

Junior hockey stints at first Wedderburn and then Melton were followed by a move to her beloved Essendon Hockey Club, where she has played Victorian Premier League since the age of 13.

She has helped the Bombers dominate Victorian premier league hockey in the past four years, making four consecutive VPL grand finals and winning two premierships.

Known as a gifted and hard-working athlete, Ward has notched up achievements across many sports and even played several games for the Western Bulldogs VFLW side on their coach’s invitation last winter as part of her winter cross training approach.

Currently majoring in neuroscience in her final year of a Melbourne University science degree, Ward coaches aspiring young hockey players for Hockey Victoria.

She also tours country Victorian schools for the Victorian Institute of Sport, and works at Bacchus Marsh Grammar part-time.