From Grit to Glory: An Un-Four-Gettable Legacy is Born

by Carly Laden

It’s the final quarter of the 2025 Hockey Australia Under-21 Men’s National Championship. The sun blazes over the Bendigo Regional Hockey Complex. You’re one goal up against New South Wales, but there’s no time to celebrate — not yet. Every second feels like a minute as the clock ticks down. NSW mounts one last desperate charge, pushing to force a shootout. But then — the final siren. Relief. Roars. Suddenly, you’re swarmed by teammates — jumping, hugging, shouting in pure euphoria. You’ve done it. You’ve won the championship. And you’re now part of a team that’s made history.

It’s been more than 400 days since WA’s Under-21 Men’s team made history with a three-peat. Now, they’ve raised the bar again — becoming the first team in 80 years to win four straight National Championships.

Head Coach Tim Geers and Assistant Coach Dominic Hird returned to the helm and led the team through a dominant tournament run in Bendigo, Victoria — defeating every opponent in their path and fending off New South Wales in a tense gold medal match to claim the Championship for a fourth straight year.

As the players embraced in celebration, a stunned Tim Geers took it all in — a moment years in the making, and still hard to believe.

“It was hard to comprehend what we’d done in the moment; I felt a bit numb,” he said.

“I had unwavering trust and confidence in our group and our system, and I thought if we played our best, we’d win, but the context surrounding that game and the four years leading up to it obviously changes the way you feel in the moment.

“When I sat down in the changeroom after the game and tried to come to grips with the fact we were the first team in 80 years of the competition to win four consecutive Championships, it was a bit surreal.”

The Evolution of a Winning Formula

Heading into the 2025 tournament, the team faced new challenges: 11 new faces joined the squad, and only five of the 18 players were top-age.

However, the team quickly forged strong connections during early training sessions and a pre-tournament camp in Narrogin.

Upon arriving in Bendigo, the team adopted a new playing system — one that looked markedly different with and without the ball but united them with a shared sense of purpose.

“I strongly believe in evolving your game, even when you're at the top,” Geers said.

“To go through undefeated, not conceding a single goal in the last 4 games, and win a record fourth straight Championship while playing a completely different system is something I sit here very proud of as a coach.

“The players deserve enormous credit for their ability to buy-in, step out of their comfort zone, learn new things, trust what we’re asking them to do, and execute their role within the system.

“It just proves how good a team can be with a clear plan reliant on people doing their role for the team, because without that buy-in, it doesn’t really matter what system you play.

“But as important as the on-field execution is, some of the best and most important moments were spent in a single room together telling each other’s stories, learning about each other, listening, and having the courage to be vulnerable.

“Developing good young men is the priority ahead of being good hockey players, but you can see that transfer to the field when you have these guys going to war for each other, helping fix each other’s mistakes, celebrating each other’s efforts, and just the freedom and enjoyment they have of doing that together. It’s special to watch.”

The 2022 WA Under-21 Men's team celebrate.

Building Men, Not Just Players

A key focus, Geers said, was building on the program’s legacy and forging connections with members of previous teams.

“Though no longer on the field, past players remained an important part of what’s been built,” Geers said.

“Cam Geddes and Max Baynam (captains from previous years) came to the very first training sessions to give their advice to the players; others trained with us in the lead up; and about 15 of them sent videos in before the final wishing the boys well.

“They helped the newcomers understand what they were stepping into — and what they had the chance to carry forward and build for themselves.

“The players developed a simple but powerful mantra which I think summed it up perfectly: ‘honour the past, pursue history, continue our legacy’.

“This project has always been about building something more than just a one-off team each year and we’ve now got a group of 40-odd young men who have just had the most amazing experience together.”

The 2023 WA Under-21 Men's team.

More Than a Team

While representing your state offers a chance to build lasting friendships, being part of a team that’s won multiple National Championships has created something deeper — a brotherhood forged through a shared journey and powerful life lessons.

For 2022 and 2023 National Championship player Brodee Foster, being part of that legacy means everything.

“We played for more than ourselves, it was about looking out for the guy next to you and doing your bit for the team,” he said.

“Whether you had a big role to play or a smaller role, none was less or more important than the next and that’s what made it so special.

“As a player it really taught me how to win and how to step up in big moments.

“As a person it taught me how to it taught me how to stay grounded and focus on what truly makes a difference — not getting caught up in things that don’t help you or the team.”

Cam Geddes, who was also part of the 2022 and 2023 teams and is a former captain said it is “pretty awesome” to be part of the legacy.

“It means a lot to everyone that was involved over the four years as it’s a great outcome for all the hard work and I’m very grateful I was able to play a role in the two years I played,” he said.

“I think everyone involved has made some lifelong friends through the campaigns and how we came together to build a team that could perform when we needed to was so inspiring.

“What made the environment so special was that everyone was equal and accountable, which I think allowed everyone to be themselves.”

For Tom Keating, who was part of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 teams, being involved in something so special and historic was “truly unbelievable”.

“After winning the first one it was amazing and I couldn’t believe it, and each year just kept compounding in disbelief that we could sustain such success for so many years,” he said.

“The relationships built and the opportunities that have arisen from it for everyone in the group is so cool to see and watch each of us grow into hockey and life.

“The environment was so special because everyone believed in the process, and no one had a bigger agenda than the team.

“The ability for everyone to get along and be happy to spend time with anyone for however long is truly amazing and rare.”

For Matt van Selm, who was part of the 2023 and 2024 squads and captained the 2025 squad, the Under-21s journey has left a lasting impact and has forged lifelong friendships.

“I’ve never been part of such a tight-knit group of people before, who work so hard together to achieve a common goal,” he said.

“The legacy created by our coaches and players has paved the way for future years to continue our success and to become better young men.

“Being part of this group means a lot to me, and I'm sure that for the rest of our lives, we will get together as a cohort, look back, and celebrate what we have done.”

The 2024 WA Under-21 Men's team celebrate their Gold Medal win.

A Coaching Team Built on Brotherhood

As much as coaching a team to four consecutive National Championships is an incredible solo feat, Geers said he could not have done it without the help of some very special people that have been along for the ride.

“Dom Hird has been my right-hand man the whole way and people won’t understand what he’s given up continuing supporting this group,” he said.

“To be able to break the record together is something I am very grateful for.

“Lachie Ashton came on board as an additional assistant coach this year and had such a great impact on not only the players, but the off-field team too.

“The fact Dom, Lachie and I played U21’s together 10 years ago and were able to lead this group to such a monumental feat as a coaching team is something we are very proud of.

“Having 18 players available to play in the final is testament to Aleck Gianoli’s work as physio during the tournament because it looked very unlikely at different stages that would be the case.

“And to be able to achieve this with my dad [Hans] as manager of the team is something I can’t quite put into words.

“I believe you should do things in life you’re passionate about with people you care about, so I’m very thankful he came on board as the team manager this year and did such an outstanding job.

 “He was one of the first people I saw after the final whistle and that’s a moment that will live with us both for a long time.”

The 2025 WA Under-21 Men's team

Western Australian Under-21 Men’s team members

Head Coach: Tim Geers – 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

Assistant Coach: Dominic Hird – 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025; Lachlan Ashton - 2025

Team Manager: Jeanette Collins – 2022, 2023, 2024; Hans Geers – 2025

Physiotherapist: Dempsey Campbell – 2022; Scott Harrison – 2023; Aleck Gianoli – 2024, 2025

Angus Adamson – 2022, 2023, 2024

Hamish Adamson – 2022, 2023, 2024

Luke Anderson – 2022, 2023, 2024

Hunter Banyard – 2022, 2023, 2024

Max Baynam – 2022, 2023, 2024

Max Freedman – 2022, 2023, 2024

Thomas Keating – 2022, 2023, 2024

Matthew van Selm – 2023, 2024, 2025

Samuel Ashton – 2022, 2023

Brodee Foster – 2022, 2023

Cambell Geddes – 2022, 2023

Oliver Higgins – 2022, 2023

Kye Stirrat – 2022, 2023

Jack Faulkner – 2023, 2024

Rinto Fukunaga – 2023, 2024

Fletcher Netherway – 2023, 2024

Patrick Andrew – 2024, 2025

Jaxon Browne – 2024, 2025

Matthew Edwards – 2024, 2025

Ian Grobbelaar – 2024, 2025

Zed Kearnan – 2024, 2025

Jonah Pilatti – 2024, 2025

Ky Fisher – 2022

Jaxon Geddes – 2022

Marcus Jorgensen – 2022

Mitchell Pace – 2022

Jack Pearce – 2022

Kurtis Scaini – 2022

Zacharie Boglio – 2023

Rourke Palmer – 2023

Chaz Davies – 2024

Luke Blee – 2025

Toby Blee – 2025

Jarod Crick - 2025

Mitchell Hyde – 2025

Charlie Johnston – 2025

Jack Kruger – 2025

Jeremy Mayne – 2025

Charlie McIntyre – 2025

Padraig Munt – 2025

Jacob Woods – 2025

Ethan Yem – 2025

WA Under-21 Men’s National Championship teams – By the Numbers

·         4 Years

·         42 Players

·         23 Games (21 Wins, 1 Draw, 1 Loss)

·         97 Goals for

·         23 Goals against

·         4 Grand Finals

·         4 Gold Medals

·         3 Physiotherapists

·         2 Team Managers

·         2 Assistant Coaches

·         1 Head Coach