AFTER a strong World League campaign last year, Orange’s Edwina Bone was on Wednesday named in the Hockeyroos squad to take on Japan in a five match Test series later this month.
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Bone made her full debut for Australia in mid-2013 and has been in and around the Hockeyroos squad ever since.
The former Kinross-CYMS and Confederates player is one of 18 selected for the first two Tests in Kalgoorlie, with four more players to be added to the squad for the final three fixtures in Perth.
Hockeyroos coach Adam Commens said the Tests will largely be used to select the Australian squad for the Rabobank Hockey World Cup, in the Netherlands, in May and June.
“Japan will be one of our opponents at the World Cup,” Commens explained as the squad was announced.
“The five Tests are a great opportunity to learn more about a team that we haven’t played against competitively since 2010 when we met them at the last World Cup.
“The games provide a chance for us to use all of our players from the national squad and we’ll endeavour to give everyone a chance to push their case for selection as we head towards the World Cup.”
The entire national squad is available for the Tests, except the injured Claire Messent, with national junior squad member Mariah Williams selected to take her palce after touring South Africa in the senior ranks last year.
The Hockeyroos will take on Japan in round two of the World Cup’s group stages, and Commens said playing in front a big crowd in Kalgoorlie will ripen his squad perfectly.
“We were fortunate to visit Kalgoorlie last year and had a very successful few days there,” he said.
“Almost immediately afterwards we began organising another visit.
“The support we received from the people of Kalgoorlie was excellent and we’re very much looking forward to being back in front of a large crowd there again.”
