Commonwealth Games in hockey sights

The South West’s newest international athlete Jake Harvie is still letting the past two weeks sink in.

Harvie made his debut for the Australian men’s hockey team the Kookaburras earlier this month when they played New Zealand in the International Festival of Hockey.

The 19-year-old said the experience was fantastic and that he played alongside a supportive group.

“It was a really enjoyable 10 days away,” he said.

Harvie said international hockey was quicker than any other he had played before and there was a demand to do all the fundamental skills at a higher level.

“For me I just tried to keep it simple and to not change too much,” he said. “I didn’t want to over-complicate anything and always ask questions of anything I was unsure about.”

Harvie said he felt he played well during the tournament, which Australia won after defeating the Black Sticks 2-1 on Sunday.

“I kept it simple which helped me slot in,” he said.

“They made it clear of what my role was and that made it easy for me to focus on what I had to do out there.”

Harvie said he hoped to be selected in the Kookaburras squad for the World League Final in Bhubaneswar, India and had the goal of competing at next year’s Commonwealth Games.

“That would be a great opportunity, but I am not sure what my chances are,” he said.

“It would be awesome to be a part of it.”

The Kookaburras have been grouped with England, Germany and India in the tournament.