Alice Arnott is in line to make her Hockeyroos debut next month after being named in the team for their upcoming games against India.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The three-match series will be played in Adelaide on May 18, 20 and 21.
The Tamworth representative will stay on Adelaide after also being included in the Australia A squad to play two matches against the Indians on May 25 and 27.
The news came hot on the heels of the second round of the local Tamworth competition, which the Scone native was a star of during her years playing in Tamworth.
Her selection comes as Hockeyroos coach Katrina Powell looks to broaden the depth in the squad as they build towards the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Arnott has previously played for the Australian Junior side (Jillaroos) and has been part of the National Development Squad (NDS) for the last three years (including 2023).
A key part of the NSW Pride side, most recently she has been plying her trade in the Dutch Hockey League, and scoring some great goals for her Klein Zwitserland Dames 1 side.
The India series will for the Hockeyroos follow on from the FIH Pro League 'mini tournament' against New Zealand and Great Britain being played in Christchurch 22-30 April 22-30.
Powell believes the depth in Australian women's hockey is "really good" at the moment, and said that with the Oceania Cup, which doubles as the qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics, taking place in August, selection for that team would heat up from here on in.
"There is competition for places, so it's important to keep showing up and playing well because at the moment one activity is leading into selection for the next activity as we get closer to the Oceania Cup," she said.
"It puts more and more pressure on the athletes to perform which is what we want to see because there will be a lot of pressure at the Oceania Cup and also obviously at the Olympics next year."
Utilising India's visit to give players on the fringe a chance to play against a team in the top eight on the world rankings, she said the number of players in contention for the Oceania Cup would start to be narrowed down.
"While there has been plenty of opportunities this year, we are going to start reducing the pool of players from who we believe the team for the Olympic qualifiers will come from," Powell said.
"This is the time to put your hand up and show what you can do if you want to be part of the Oceania Cup squad which is the major tournament for this year."
