GOLDEN GIRL: Madie Smith shows off the gold medal she won at the School Sport Australia All Schools Hockey Championships. Photo: NICK MCGRATH
IT won't come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the plethora of young talent in Orange hockey, but young gun Madie Smith was shocked when her name was read out as a member of the 2012 Australian School Girls team.
The talented fullback played a leading role in her NSW side's defence of its School Sport Australia 16 years and under hockey title at the All Schools Championship in Hobart last week.
NSW defeated Queensland 3-1 in the final and later dominated selections in the Australian side, with Smith one of seven Blues girls named in the 15-strong squad set to tour New Zealand and Argentina next February.
Bathurst's Andrea Gillard and Jessica Waterson also made the cut.
Going into the tournament it was a goal of Smith's to earn higher honours.
"Definitely, but I had a couple of games where I didn't play my best and I thought my chances were gone," the 16-year-old revealed.
"When my name got called out, I was in shock. I was shaking and I couldn't speak.
"It's just amazing."
NSW cruised through to the finals, going undefeated through the competition's first six games.
In the final against Queensland, NSW got off to the perfect start when Mikaela Patterson hit home the Blues' first goal of the game in the 18th minute.
Queensland soon hit back, though, with Madeline Staff levelling the scores before half-time.
"I will admit I was a bit nervous in the sheds at half-time," the Orange High School student said.
"We beat them 3-nil in the first game and there's always that NSW-Queensland rivalry there and they definitely stepped it up in the final."
But so too did NSW in the second half.
The Blues came out in the last 35 minutes and scored a second goal through Tori Scanlon 10 minutes into the final period, then further extended its margin over the Queenslanders thanks to Amelia Leard late in the game.
"From there I think we knew we were home, but we had to keep at it," she said with NSW holding on to record the 3-1 win.
"The whole tournament we had trouble scoring and I think it was the same in the final but we managed to put a few away."
Generally a centre-half with women's Premier League Hockey outfit Kinross-CYMS, Smith dominated at fullback for New South Wales.
She was hoping to do the same for Australia.
"At the trials I trialled for fullback and that's where I got picked," Smith said.
"I like playing there. It doesn't worry me. It's going to be pretty exciting."
n AUSTRALIAN ALL SCHOOLS: Madie Smith (NSW), Andrea Gillard (NSW), Rita Boyd (Queensland), Kate Hanna (NSW), Greta Hayes (NSW), Madeleine Hinton (Tasmania), Tara McLaughlin (ACT), Mikaela Patterson (NSW), Courtney Rudd (South Australia), Bridie Ruff (Queensland), Lauren Scholl (Queensland), Madeline Staff (Queensland), Grace Stewart (NSW), Jessica Waterson (NSW), Leah Welstead (South Australia).