When the NSW boys under 15 hockey team arrives in Narellan for the Australian Championships next month, the side will have a distinct Illawarra flavour to it.
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In an endorsement of the region's grassroots hockey programs, five boys, Ethan Bambridge, Michael Arthur, Dylan Simmons, Thomas Duncan and Luke Potter, will represent their state at the Australian Championships in early April.
The selection comes after the Illawarra under 15 boys team took out last year's NSW Field Hockey Championships and Simmons said it was great to see so many of his teammates gain selection.
"It's really good, it's been a thing over the last three years with Illawarra being pretty dominant," Simmons said. "To have not just me but five guys in was very good, it's good to see success going into higher levels.
"Of the 16 people in the team, five of us are Illawarra, so basically a third of the team. A lot of areas are struggling to get one player in, so for us to get that involvement is a big achievement for the players and coaches."
Simmons, a goalkeeper, attributed much of the success of the boys to the hard work of Illawarra coach David Johnston. A veteran coach, Johnston has developed some of the region's finest talents.
"He's done everything, from training to mentorship, he's been a very big contributor. He's probably the main reason we have the volume of people going.
"He's been around for a long time, got players to the Kookaburras, he's done this for a long time and we are where we are today because of him."
Simmons was a member of the NSW under 15 team last season and he's hoping he can build on that experience to lead the side to a gold medal this year.
"My goals are to just produce a solid performance and give back the faith the coaches showed in selecting me and of course, winning the championship is the ultimate goal.
"I've learnt a lot from a leadership standpoint, being one of the senior players this year, I'll be able to take more of a leadership role this year."
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