MARIAH Williams says she's "done everything I possibly can" to overcome a sixth surgery and compete at her third Olympics.
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The Hunter Sports High School graduate and Souths striker feels "strong", "fit" and "confident" as she continues her comeback from another knee injury at this week's Games qualifiers in New Zealand.
Williams, a Hockeyroos representative at Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2021), still has Paris within reach next year after recovering from an operation to address cartilage damage on her left side around Easter.
That knee has now been worked on three times throughout the course of a 117-Test career, which began in 2013. She's also gone under the knife for issues with her right knee (twice) and pubic bone.
"Some people are just blessed and don't have any injuries during their careers, that's beyond me," Williams told the Newcastle Herald.
The 28-year-old, based in Perth and working with an Indigenous foundation visiting schools, raced the clock to prove her fitness for Australia's recent European tour.
"I got to play a few [Pro League] games after knee surgery and it was a good feeling to reward myself from the hard work I'd done in rehab," she said.
Williams, a Commonwealth Games and World Cup medallist in 2022, says the upcoming Oceania Cup against the Kiwis across the Tasman were always the main goal.
"It was hard in terms of the timing, being such a short turnaround, but with Oceanias in eyeshot I've done everything I possibly can to be right," she said.
"We've had a good block of training in Perth over the last month and the body feels really good.
"I'm really looking forward to this now with a strong body, a fit body and a confident body."
A three-Test series begins in Whangarei on Thursday with back-to-back matches scheduled over the weekend.
The Australian women's team lost a countback to New Zealand in Rockhampton four years ago and were forced to take the long way round to reach the last Olympics, beating Russia in a "second-chance draw".
Williams "most certainly" wants the Hockeyroos to avoid that route in 2023.
"One because we don't want to go that way again and two because it's a bit harder this time around," she said.
"If you don't win Oceania you actually go into competition with European teams.
"So it's foot on the throttle and going for it, because we don't want it to get to that point."
Newcastle duo Matt Dawson and Ky Willott are both part of the Kookaburras squad playing the corresponding men's Test series.
IN THE NEWS:
Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
