By Tania Phillips
WARWICK’S Paul McGrath has been named as coach of the Australian Women’s Polocrosse Team following a successful performance at Australian Squad trials at Morgan Park at the weekend.
McGrath’s Australian team will play against South Africa in April 2017 back in Warwick.
His selection capped off a successful weekend for the Warwick club which was chosen by the Polocrosse Association of Australia (PAA) to host the Australian Squad Series in conjunction with their annual IOR Rose Bowl Club Carnival.
Two men’s and two women’s teams from the Australian Squad went head to head at Morgan Park as players vied for a place on the National team to play against South Africa in April 2017.
Paul, himself a former Australian player – and the Qld coach for the past four Nationals, said he was honoured to be given the role.
“It will be very good, I’m quite looking forward to it to be honest,” he said.
Playing since 1978, Paul has a strong family background in the sport with his father and brothers and now wife and daughters all playing. Wife Sally played in the first World Cup while daughters Jordan and Keeley are already in the junior and intermediate squad.
Paul said he was pleased with the team selected, and they were currently working out the logistics of lead-up events and training with the squad from around the country including two Western Australians.
The 32 selected players, drawn from all states in Australia, played three games each in front of the Australian selectors with the National Team being announced at end of play on Sunday.
Both the Men’s and Women’s Green Teams triumphed over the Gold Teams in the “best of 3” competition, with two nights of play under lights at Morgan Park and the final on Sunday.
Champion Lady Player of the Australian Squad Series was Suzette Thomas and Champion Male Player was Lance Anderson.
Not forgetting the importance of a good horse in the game of polocrosse, Champion Australian Stock Horse was Trent Mortimer’s Kirkby Stud Delight.
The two teams to take on South Africa will be captained by Hayden Turnbull from New South Wales and Suzette Thomas from Western Australia, with three Queensland players, Lauren Sillitoe, Tom O’Neill and Trent Collins, chosen for the teams.
McGrath will coach the women while fellow Queenslander Justin Hafey will coach the Men’s Australian team. South African National Polocrosse coach Bruce McLarty was in attendance and kept a close eye on the competition his players would be up against next year.
As part of the weekend extravaganza of polocrosse, 82 club teams from Queensland and New South Wales competed in a separate competition – the IOR Rose Bowl Championship Carnival.
Over 500 riders and horses battled for Club pride as preparation for the Queensland State Championships in September.
Home side Warwick One made it to the IOR Rose Bowl Championship final, but was beaten by a strong Cassilis side who took out the win with 22 goals to 16.
