Guest believes Thundersticks men have the right mix

The Perth Thundersticks men and women have named their teams to take on the Adelaide Fire at Perth’s home of hockey this Saturday.

Both sides named 15 players for the first match of the tournament against Adelaide on Saturday afternoon at the Perth Hockey Stadium, with a host of world-class talent and local heroes preparing to do the side proud.

This will be the Thundersticks’ first Hockey One match since 2019’s inaugural season after the previous two installments were cancelled due to COVID.

A notable exclusion from the men’s side for Saturday’s clash is Olympians Medal winning and prolific goal scorer Liam Flynn who is recovering from illness.

Men’s head coach David Guest said Flynn would only miss Saturday’s match and would be ready to go for the Thundersticks’ away clash with HC Melbourne on October 7.

“He will be ready to go and will be selected for the Melbourne weekend which is next weekend,” Guest said.

“His record speaks for itself, I think he has scored something like 170 goals in the last six seasons.

“He scored 37 this year and was the Olympians Medal winner, he is just a goal-scoring machine and someone who will factor into our game plan very highly.

“We are lucky to have some depth, Harry Golding comes in for him and I have every faith he will do a good job, but we will be looking to get the class of Liam back into the team as soon as possible.”

Golding is one of a number of young stars set to represent the Perth side at the tournament, with Reds’ striker Brodee Foster and UWA’s Cambell Geddes both debuting for the side this weekend.

“It is really exciting to have these debutants come in and be playing their first game,” Guest said.

“It is reshaping what the Thundersticks look like, which is pretty cool.

“Brodee and Cambell both had excellent Under-21 national championships, with Brodee being the leading goalscorer and Cambell being in the top four with his drag flicking.

“Both are dynamic players, Cam as a defender and Brodee as a striker, and both were selected for the Australian Under-21 team.

“Having those guys come in and inject that youth and enthusiasm into the group will be fantastic for us.”

Guest said he was also excited to watch young Wolves duo Tom Harvie and Alistair Murray at the Hockey One level.

“There is also Tom Harvie, who has been training with the Kookaburras this year, he is an extremely capable defender with a good skill set,” Guest said.

“Then there is Alistair Murray, and who knows where he could have been if there was a Hockey One the last couple of years.

“Again, he is a really good player who I am expecting big things from.”

Guest said complementing WA’s extremely talented young crop will be a number of experienced hockey legends – including Aran Zalewski, Tyler Lovell and Chris Bausor.

The new Thundersticks coach said the trio were part of a group of level headed and talented leaders at his disposal.

“They bring some excellent leadership to the group and experience,” Guest said.

“They are cool under pressure, you can throw any game plan at them and they get it.

“They are excellent for the young guys because they are really good mentors, they have taken them under their wing and are going to show them the way.”

Guest said the local stars of Hockey WA’s Premier League will also form a key roll alongside some of the world’s best.

“We have some other guys who have been excellent club players in Will Battistessa, Bryn De Bes and Tim Geers,” he said.

“They have been excellent for their clubs for a long period of time here in Perth.

“They are extremely capable players and they are going to lead the team as well.

“It is good, we have a really good blend and I like it.”

The new coach said he was thrilled to be leading such a storied and talented side into this year’s Hockey One.

“I am super excited, it is a real privilege for me to lead the Thundersticks,” he said.

“I have played many a game against them throughout my career and they were also a very tough team who were culturally very good and excellent playing wise.

“I always admired the way they went about it, so to be taking the helm and knowing the history behind it, I want to make sure I do it justice and serve the team well.”

Saturday’s women’s match begins at 5:30pm and the men’s takes place at 7pm.

The Perth Thundersticks need your support this Sultana Bran Hockey One League season, with our first double header to be played at Perth Hockey Stadium at Curtin University on Saturday 1 October. Show your support by purchasing a membership, securing your tickets or through our Perth Thundersticks Player Partnership Program. We want all of WA behind our elite-level men's and women's teams!