WA hockey heroes named in 2022 Kookaburras squad

The Kookaburras squad for 2022 has been finalised with three of WA's best donning the green and gold for next year, in what shapes to be a big year for the Kookaburras with the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games in sight.

WA's Jake Harvie, Tom Wickham and Aran Zalewski have held their spots in the squad for the coming year, retaining their positions after strong perfomances for the squad in 2021, most notably Zalewski and Wickham's efforts in Tokyo.

WA hockey legends Tyler Lovell and Trent Mitton leave the squad after announcing their retirements this year.

An initial squad of 23 athletes has been named, with four spots open which will be filled with new additions early next year through selection camps.

With the Kookaburras’ next major tournament being the 2022 Commonwealth Games in July, Batch will use selection camps early next year to determine which players will fill the vacant four spots.

“Post an Olympics there is always a thorough assessment of our national squad and where we see ourselves looking ahead to the Paris Olympics,” said Batch.

“At this stage we are naming 23 players who we believe are capable of being in Paris in 2024.”

“There is strong competition within the squad but we also expect there will be younger players knocking on the door and some of them will join us once we have time to assess the next group coming in.”

“We hope to finalise the squad early next year.”

Despite the vast amount of experience exiting the squad, Batch is excited by the prospect of injecting new faces into the group and providing opportunities for players eager to be part of the Kookaburras setup.

“It’s always nice to bring new players into the squad,” said Batch.

“They create an energy and enthusiasm from being in the Kookaburras squad for the first time.

“We look forward to working with and developing those players, and them learning what it takes to become a Kookaburra.”