Norths player Ky Willott added to Kookaburras roster

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder, Victorian striker Craig Marais, Western Australian defender James Collins and experienced goalkeeper Ben Rennie completed the Australian men's 27-player roster.

Having initially announced a strong and experienced squad of 23 players in November last year, Kookaburras head coach Colin Batch said it was an ideal time to include three athletes from the national junior program.

Marais and Willott were both part of the Australia A team that competed in a series of matches against the Kookaburras in Darwin prior to last year's Tokyo Olympics.

"Both Ky Willott and Craig Marais impressed in the Sultana Bran Hockey One League at the end of 2019," Batch said.

"Both came out of the national junior program and have had really good development in their home states.

"They have shown some real quality and are both smart hockey players. Potentially they can grow into really good players for the Kookaburras and we hope that happens."

Batch said the Kookaburras' selection panel looked for players to complement the program with a focus towards this year's Commonwealth Games and the longer term objective of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

He expected they would "put their hand up for selection when the international matches do come around".

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