Perth Thundersticks Men’s Team heads South for team bonding and 'City vs Country' showdown

An opportunity to strengthen team bonds and showcase their talents outside the city waits for the Perth Thundersticks Men’s team as they get ready to venture down south.

The team is set to travel to Busselton where they will spend time training and compete in ‘City vs Country’ exhibition match at Busselton Hockey Stadium on Saturday 5 October from 5.45pm.

The trip will serve as an opportunity for the team to come together in an ‘away-game scenario’ before the team kicks off their Liberty Hockey One campaign in Canberra against the Chill on Sunday 13 October.

Perth Thundersticks Men’s Head Coach Stephen ‘China’ Davies said the trip will involve a fair bit of team bonding before they eventually come together for a game in front of a country crowd.

“They’ll have to make travel arrangements, room together, cook together and just be around each other throughout the time so there’s a fair element of bonding in this but we will get a good game of hockey under our belt by playing against each other,” he said.

“Hopefully there will be a bit of a crowd in Busselton and we’ll have a chance to play in front of a crowd and take hockey to the country and build up a supporter base there off the back of that.

“We’ll also spend some time talking about some of the values and attitudes that will be crucial to the team for the season but more than anything, this is a chance to get away with the guys all together on our own and get ready for the trip to Canberra.”

The City vs Country exhibition match will coincide with Busselton Hockey Association’s Masters Carnival.

Busselton Hockey Association chairman Ross Lavington said it’s a “real win” for the Busselton hockey community to host the Perth Thundersticks Men’s team ahead of the Liberty Hockey One season.

“These guys are the best in WA, playing in the national competition against the best across the country,” he said.

“Our junior and young senior players get to experience the skill, fitness and work ethic of this elite level up close and meet the next generation of National/Olympic contenders.

“However, it’s so much more than that – the wider Busselton community gets to experience an international/Olympic sport played at an elite level right here in our own backyard.”

Lavington said the Busselton Hockey Association are expecting a capacity crowd and “an amazing atmosphere” during the exhibition match as well as the Busselton Masters Carnival, which features 43 teams.

Immediately following the City vs Country exhibition match, the Busselton Stingers and Warren Raiders will strut their stuff on the turf as part of the Men’s Over-35 division – which is set to feature a number of players that still play in the South West Hockey League and the Busselton Hockey Association’s A2 Men’s competition.

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The Perth Thundersticks is proudly supported by Sharp EIT Solutions, Bravo Apples, ERM High Voltage Asset Specialists, Polytan, Session Equity, and Project Innovations.

The Perth Thundersticks Women’s program is also proudly supported by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.