Hockey passion passes test of time

Longevity in any game is something most sports people strive for and at 59, Eaton Eagles Hockey Club champion Ricky Whelan is an example of just that.

Whelan will play her 400th game this Saturday for the Eagles against Marist, after more than 20 years of representing the South West club.

Whelan said she loved the girls she played with.

"It is sort of like your second family really," she said.

"I like playing with the one club. Previously I played with the Leschenault Raiders and a group of us decided one year when we had the option of playing just A3s, we decided to move.

"We were invited to play for Eaton because we had the option of playing for twos or ones."

Whelan said the highlight of her long career was being asked to play in the top division, when she was at the age of 41.

"That was pretty exciting," she said.

The 59-year-old cannot remember how many grand finals she has won in her successful career.

"My husband describes himself as a hockey widower," she said.

"It is an obsession for me."

As well as playing in the South West Hockey League, Whelan has also represented WA for the past seven years at the National Masters competition.

"In seven years I have been lucky enough to be in a team which has won three gold and silver," she said.