U23 Men’s Junior World Cup 2023: Australia Names Burras Squad Packed With Hockey One Talent, Led By Kookaburras International Craig Marais
The fact that a young man from New South Wales who has not yet completed his HSC studies was selected for Australia's under-23 World Cup squad is indicative of the fact that he is being groomed to become a rising star on the world stage of the sport.
The young Burras would be well-served to have as their leader Craig Marais, the only player on Australia's U23 Junior World Cup roster who has been capped for the senior squad.
The 21-year-old has made 14 appearances for the Kookaburras and is looking forward to taking his junior teammates with him to Malaysia so that they can be a part of the next generation of the green and gold. The team is full of top-tier players from all over the country's Hockey One League.
Marais, who plays for Hockey Club Melbourne, has had the good fortune to captain multiple Australian national teams at the junior level.
I make it a point to get the best out of individuals and ensure that everyone in the team is happy and at ease when they are collaborating.
"If everyone feels like they are in a safe place, they are going to play to the best of their potential."
Teenage wunderkind Toby Mallon, 17, is still finishing his HSC studies while he cuts his teeth with the undefeated NSW Pride men's squad. This is in contrast to Marais, who is 21 years old and has played with Australian stalwarts such as Eddie Ockenden and Blake Govers on the largest stage. While Marais has had this experience, Mallon is still a student.
Pride head coach Brent Livermore noted that Mallon was the most mature and composed player he had ever seen at the U18 National Championships.
"He was made part of the junior program in 2022 and, at 17, he has the potential to play in two junior World Cups," Livermore added.
To quote one of his coaches: "He has amazing talent, and his maturity is well above his age in terms of what he can do in midfield (with) his composure under pressure and his fundamental skills."
Even though Mallon had to skip the recent Sultan of Johor Cup, also in Malaysia, because of finals, the Burras are coming back with unfinished business after storming to the final of the pre-World Cup competition, where they were ultimately defeated by Germany in a painful penalty shootout.
The team has 15 players listed on Hockey One rosters, including Cooper Burns, Marais's HCM colleague and the second-leading scorer in the Sultan of Johor Cup, and rising stars Noah Fahy (Brisbane Blaze) and Brodee Foster (Perth Thundersticks).
Since December in Malaysia can reach 35 degrees Celsius and is often around 30 degrees, Marais has revealed that the team has been using heat chambers to prepare for the extreme heat.
Burras head coach and Olympic silver medalist Jay Stacy has announced a 20-man roster for the team's inaugural Junior World Cup game on December 5.
Stacy believes that his team is "really deep" and that they have "ticked a lot of boxes" in every category.
"Because of this, making selections can be challenging. We want there to be hard, but at the same time, we're looking for the optimal balance that will bring everything together.
"They want to show you what they've got, but we always reflect that it is a team-first attitude." "They want to show you what they've got."
The group has a proverb that goes something like this: "No matter what move you make in the game, you should always be working to ensure that the person next to you is having the best day of his life."