The future looks even brighter for Footscray Hockey Club since five Bulldogs’ players and a coach all came home from the under-21 national championships with gold in hand.
Olivia Colasurdo and Georgia Hopkins formed a key partnership on the defensive midfield line for the Victorian women’s side, which beat New South Wales, 3-2, in the final at Hobart.
Strikers Oscar Allan and Weston Howell, and midfielder Kyle Gildea, were in the Victorian men’s team that defeated Western Australia, 2-1, in the final at Canberra.
The men’s team was coached by Lachlan Anderson, who was also the club’s women’s coach during the Hockey Victoria season.
That Footscray had a number of under-age state representatives is nothing new. What is newfound is an ability for the club to keep these players for many years to come.
For so long the Bulldogs have failed to maintain young stars, but now they can offer top-flight hockey in both men’s and women’s sections. “The club, over the journey, has had lots of talent come through, and then lost players …because they hadn’t been in premier league or they weren’t strong or successful in premier league at those times,” Anderson told Star Weekly.
“We’re a club that’s been around for a long time, but only now starting to develop and realise its potential.
“We’re still a long way off reaching that potential, but at least getting closer to it.”
The under-21 nationals is the end of the road for under-age state representation. The next step for the players is to impress at open age level, or simply go back to Footscray and have a long career at club level.
All five players chosen for the nationals were part of Footscray’s premier league teams this season.
