Said will mentor the Orange under-15 boys’ team at this year’s Hockey NSW Indoor State Championship - beginning on Friday in Gosford - and with nigh on all of his team having grown up playing hockey together the job of meshing this representative side into one, cohesive unit is already done for him.

It’s the easiest rep role in Orange.

“This is my first year with them,” Said began.

“But the majority of the boys have played together so it’s going to be fairly easy to get them to click.”

Said’s under-15 team will head to Gosford for the opening day of the championships  on Friday, hosted at the Central Coast Youth Club.

They’re in division two pool B, and will tackle Goulburn in game one before facing Sydney (1), Metro South West (2) and Port Macquarie throughout what shapes as a very tough group stage of the championship.

Said believes the tighter refines of an indoor hockey field requires swift ball movement from the side’s midfield.

He’s confident the experience of Connor Morris, Bailey Ferguson and Henry Jones will provide the Orange side with just that.

“I guess it’s just a tighter space ... it becomes a bit more play orientated, where you’ve got to have that core group in the centre to control it and it’s all going to be ball movement to win the game,” he said.

“But everyone is going to have to step up though.

“You can’t afford to have anyone as a weak link in the team.

“This year with five in the field it’s going to restrict that a little bit but I think it’s still going to be a free flowing game because it’s fast paced and you don’t get much time to rest.”

Orange’s first game is at 10.30am on Friday.