Five WA athletes named in final Burras Junior World Cup squad

The 18 players to represent Australia at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023 in Malaysia have been finalised, with five WA athletes named in the squad.

Angus Adamson, Brodee Foster, Max Freedman, Cambell Geddes, and Oliver Higgins have been named in the final Burras team line-up set to travel to Malaysia to compete in the Junior World Cup, taking place in Kuala Lumpur from Tuesday 5 December to Saturday 16 December.

Luke Anderson has also been named as a non-travelling reserve for the team.

The announcement comes after a 20-player Burras squad was announced last Friday.

Following the initial 20-person squad announcement, Burras Head Coach Jay Stacy said he was extremely pleased with the group that had been assembled.

“It has been a long process…over two years to get to this point and giving opportunities to some younger players coming through,” said Stacy.

“We have finally narrowed it down to a team with a skillset that we think can go deep at the Junior World Cup.”

“It’s exciting with our recent performances at the Sultan of Johor Cup. Losing the Final in a shootout to Germany who are one of the world’s top nations, we’re excited by the growth and continual improvement we’ve had right through our preparation.”

“We saw some significant development from our European tour earlier in the year and there has been some notable growth among the group.”

“The players want to show you what they’ve got but we always reflect that it is a team first attitude. We have a saying in the Burras that whatever action you perform in the game, you’re trying to help the guy beside you have his best day. That team first attitude is significantly important.”

“I think we’ve got a really deep squad and have ticked a lot of boxes in each of the areas. That’s why selection becomes difficult. We want to have that difficulty but we’re looking at the right balance to bring all of that together to be successful at the tournament.”

The Burras have won the Men’s Junior World Cup once back in 1997, while Australia also secured three silver and two bronze medals in the history of the competition. The Burras missed the last Junior World Cup in 2021 due to COVID restrictions.

The Burras’ first pool match is a blockbuster against defending champions Argentina, before taking on Chile and hosts Malaysia. The top two teams at the end of the pool stage progress to the quarter finals, with the Final to be played on 16 December.

Every match of the tournament will be shown on Watch.Hockey.

Burras Team - FIH Hockey Junior Men’s World Cup 2023
 

Non-Travelling Reserves: Aiden Dooley (ACT), Luke Anderson (WA)

FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
5-16 December 2023
Pools
Schedule and results

Burras Pool Matches
Argentina v Burras
5 December (4:00pm local time, 7:00pm AEDT)

Burras v Chile
6 December (6:00pm local time, 9:00pm AEDT)

Burras v Malaysia
8 December (8:00pm local time, 11:00pm AEDT)