Despite being just 16 Eva Reith-Snare’s no stranger to the national stage, in fact it’s tough to not consider her a NSW veteran already.
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After debuting for her state aged 12 she’s donned sky blue at every junior level possible, most recently helping her state’s under-18 side to a national championship and winning player of the final to boot.
That monumental effort came just over two months ago and while she took mountains of confidence from it, Reith-Snare’s still the first to admit this week’s Hockey Australia Women’s Under-21 Championship is a whole different kettle of fish.
It’s probably the biggest challenge of Reith-Snare’s burgeoning career considering she’s tackling an age group that’s five above her own at the highest level Australia has to offer, and is one of just five 16-year-olds fronting at Sydney Olympic Park.
Incredibly she’s not the youngest at the tournament though, 15-year-old Tasmanian Sophie Rockefeller takes that mantle.
It’s a test Reith-Snare’s jumping out of her skin to take though, one that kicks off when her NSW Blues take on perennial powerhouse and last year’s third-finisher Queensland in Wednesday night’s tournament-opener.
“I’m very nervous, but I’m really, really excited to hopefully step my game up and play well,” Reith-Snare said, speaking to the Central Western Daily from NSW camp on Tuesday morning.
Compared to March’s under-18 national championship there’ll no doubt be a lift in physicality this week, but she said the speed of the game is the biggest difference she’s anticipating.
“I’m expecting it to be a lot faster,” she said.
The Confederates star comes into the tournament in excellent form, helping her women’s Premier League Hockey side to two wins in the last three weeks and also scoring a hat-trick in Orange High School’s Astley Cup win over Bathurst last week.
She’s hoping to continue that kind of form and find her feet at this level and explained her side – NSW’s development team, which also includes Dubbo product Emma Corcoran – is just looking to match it with the nation’s top sides.
That includes NSW’s first string side, the defending champions, although if they meet it won’t be until the play-off stage.
“Our goal (as a team) is to play the best we can, and have heaps of fun,” Reith-Snare said.
“My goal is also to play the best I can and step up to this next level. If I play well enough to get my out there a bit that would be great, but I just want to play well for, and with, my team.”
Reith-Snare and her NSW Blues face Queensland from 7pm on Wednesday night, and they’ll also look to topple the ACT and Western Australia in group stage on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
The play-offs start on Sunday, July 8.
Former Orange Wanderers star Hayden Dillon will take to Sydney Olympic Park with the NSW men’s side too, alongside Parkes’ Kurt Lovett.
Their outfit, also the defending champion, takes on the ACT, Victoria and South Australia in the group stage.
For Dillon and Lovett, the national championship will continue their preparation for this year’s Australian Hockey League, they were both named in the NSW Waratahs’ squad earlier this year.
In terms of the central west region’s stars Logan Hunter in the men’s Blues squad while Abigail Wilson, Andrea Gillard and Clare Bosman are in the women’s top squad, all four are from Lithgow.