A Year in Review 2022

2022 saw many milestones, achievements, and triumphs within our hockey community. Celebrate these with us over the next 12 days as Hockey Queensland takes a look back at the year that was, month by month! 🎄

January

A Year In Review: January 🏑 

Hockey Queensland were super excited to launch our BRAND NEW Play Hockey QLD TV ad and campaign. 

The Queensland Festival of Indoor was organised and run in lieu of Australian Indoor Championships. The Opens, U21 and U18 age groups were excellent events, unfortunately the U15 and U13 events were cancelled due to Covid. 

Our 3 Queenslanders were appointed to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games - Aleisha Neumann and Steve Rogers to the Umping panel, and Joanne Greensill to the Technical panel. They were 3 of 4 Australians that officiated at the event. 

Lyn Thomas was awarded an OAM. 

Hockey Queensland announced the signing of The Point Brisbane as the preferred hotel provider in Brisbane for Hockey Queensland.

February 

A Year In Review: February 🏑 

After Trials held in Feb the U18 and U15 State Teams were selected. 

The new look Queensland representative uniforms were revealed, which embrace our country’s Indigenous heritage. Our Queensland State Team players now celebrate and acknowledge Queensland’s ties to our Indigenous communities by wearing a representative uniform featuring artwork by Charli Bliss, a young Torres Strait Islander artist from Mackay.

Over 30 of Queensland’s best female athletes had 5 days of 2022 Hockeyroos Squad Trials at home here at the Queensland State Hockey Centre. 
7 Queenslanders were named in the condensed 22 athlete Hockeyroos Squad for 2022 - Claire Colwill, Rebecca Greiner, Madison Fitzpatrick, Steph Kershaw, Rosie Malone, Meg Pearce, and Renee Taylor.

Polytan were re-signed as the official HQ Turf Supplier and preferred turf of hockey in Queensland.

MARCH

A Year In Review: March 🏑 

Voting for the 2021 Annual Awards opened. A record number of nominations were received from the Associations. 

7 Queenslanders were named in the 2022 Australian Women's Development Squad - Hannah Astbury, Hannah Cullum-Sanders, Savannah Fitzpatrick, Morgan Gallagher, Tatum Stewart, Britt Wilkinson and Emily Witheyman-Crump.

4 Queenslanders were named in the 2022 Australian Men's Development Squad - Joel Rintala, Luca Brown, Mitch Nicholson and Michael Francis. 

Australian hockey’s Junior (Under 21) Men’s and Women’s squads were selected following a successful Domestic Series on the Gold Coast, where 31 of our athletes competed. 
14 Queenslanders were named in the 2022 Australian Junior Squads.

Women
•    Dayle Dolkens 
•    Kendra Fitzpatrick 
•    Ruby Harris 
•    Kyra Livermore
•    Morgan Mathison
•    Jesse Reid
•    Jade Smith
•    Laney Belle Smith 

Men
•    Jayden Atkinson
•    Michael Doan
•    Liam Hart
•    David Hubbard
•    Will Mathison
•    Luke Randle

Hockey in Australia entered a new dawn with the launch of LIVEHockey – a dedicated home for LIVE streaming of national and state/territory hockey events. Hockey Queensland live streamed all of our State Championships (including Masters), Indoor State Championships and Big Hockey Hit Out over the 2022 year.

AdWrap-It signed on as Hockey Queensland’s Preferred Signage Provider. 

APRIL

A Year In Review: April 🏑 

Our Queensland teams had a spectacular U18 Australian Championships campaign, and Cairns Hockey Association hosted an amazing event. The U18 Women's Gold were crowned National Champions, and our U18 Women's Maroon brought home Silver! The U18 Men Maroon won Bronze, and the U18 Men Gold finished in 9th. 

As the first contingent to wear the uniform, the U18 Queensland Teams were presented with their playing strip at the Maroon Mingle ahead of the Australian Championships. 

Congratulations to our Queensland teams on a excellent U15 Australian Championships campaign in Newcastle.  The U15 Boys Maroon were crowned National Champions, and the U15 Boys Gold won Bronze! The U15 Girls Maroon were also crowned National Champions, and our U15 Girls Gold finished in 4th position. 
22 Queenslanders were selected in the 2022 Hockey Australia Future Squads. 

Hockey Queensland proudly announced the winners of the Hockey Queensland Annual Awards for 2021.

MAY

A Year In Review: May 🏑 

The Hockey Queensland Championship brought over 300 of Queensland's best athletes together across 20 teams to fight it out for their Association in Brisbane.

Hockey Queensland announced the three latest award winners for service to hockey in Queensland:
•    Gary Kershaw Life Member
•    Margret Mantell Distinguished Service Award
•    Sharon Collins Distinguished Service Award

The Hockeyroos team to compete at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup in Spain & Netherlands 2022 from 1-17 July was named with the following Queenslanders:
•    Claire Colwill
•    Hannah Cullum-Sanders
•    Madison Fitzpatrick
•    Rebecca Greiner
•    Steph Kershaw
•    Rosie Malone
•    Meg Pearce
The Hockeyroos won the 2022 Trans-Tasman Series after recording an impressive 2-1 victory over New Zealand.
Queenslander athletes headed to Perth for the Technical Skills Camp and for VAAs (Visiting Athlete Agreement), including a 7 week stint for Joel Rintala and Michael Francis. 

Our Commonwealth Games officials prepared with International Appointments at the Kookaburras vs Malaysia Test Matches in late April, the Women’s World Cup, the FIH Pro League games in Spain, and the Sentinel Homes Trans Tasman Series against New Zealand. 

JUNE

A Year In Review: June 🏑 

Chemist Warehouse signed as the naming rights sponsor of the Junior State Championships. 

The Hockey Queensland Chemist Warehouse U18 State Championships wrapped up after a fantastic few days and U18 State Squads were selected. 

U21, Country and Masters teams were also selected for the Australian Championships. 

Our Queensland Hockeyroos headed to Spain for the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2022:
•    Claire Colwill
•    Hannah Cullum-Sanders
•    Madison Fitzpatrick
•    Rebecca Greiner
•    Stephanie Kershaw
•    Rosie Malone
•    Meg Pearce

And Aleisha Neumann joined them on the Umpire Panel. 

The Commonwealth Hockeyroos and Kookaburras teams were announced: 
•    Jacob Anderson
•    Daniel Beale
•    Tim Howard
•    Jake Whetton
•    Claire Colwill
•    Madison Fitzpatrick
•    Steph Kershaw
•    Rosie Malone
•    Renee Taylor

The Big Hockey Hit Out returned as player nominations opened. 

Brisbane Blaze Membership sales opened! 

Hockey Queensland excitedly announced our pilot program, the HQ Regional Development Program. 

The 2022 Indoor State Championship’s calendar was announced. 

JULY

A Year In Review: July 🏑 

Hockey Queensland was part of the Brisbane 2032 Green & Gold Runway event at Southbank! Huge shout out to our U13 and U15 #Generation2032 athletes who came out. 

Our U21 Teams competed at the Australian Championships. The Women brought home Bronze, and the Men finished 5th. 

The Hockeyoos won Bronze at the FIH Women's World Cup! Congratulations to our Queenslanders in the squad. 

In preparation for the Commonwealth Games, the Kookaburras played 5 matches against Spain and Netherlands. Well done to our 4 Queenslanders in the squad. Congratulations to Daniel Beale on 200 caps with the Kookaburras! 

The Hockey Queensland Chemist Warehouse U13 State Championships have wrapped up after a fantastic few days, and the U13 State Squads were selected. 

The Brisbane Blaze coaches were announced. 

The 2022 Awards Night function was announced with a ‘Save the Date’.

August

A Year In Review: August 🏑 

The successful return of the Hockey Australia Country Challenge saw Queensland dominate this year’s event in Albany, Western Australia with both Men and Women bringing home Gold. Men’s and women’s Senior and U21 Australian Country squads were selected from the competition. 20 athletes were also selected in an extended 2023 Australian Hockey5s Squad. 

The Big Hockey Hit Out (BHHO) - Queensland's most competitive event – finished up with Thunder winning in the Men’s Competition and Ray’s winning in the Women’s. Each winning team came away with $2,000! 

The Final Brisbane Blaze Squads of 20 were named. Hundreds of votes were tallied… the Brisbane Blaze introduced our new mascot BURNIE!

Our Queensland athletes selected in the 2022 National Junior Squads at the conclusion of the U21 Australian Championships! 

Women’s Junior Squad
Jordan Bliss
Kyra Livermore
Jade Reid
Dayle Dolkens
Georgina West
Jade Smith
Laney Belle Smith
Ruby Harris

Men’s Junior Squad
Jayden Atkinson
Michael Doan
Liam Hart
David Hubbard
Will Mathison

Australia’s national men’s and women’s hockey teams, the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos, completed memorable campaigns in Birmingham, with the Kookaburras winning gold and the Hockeyroos winning silver on the final two days of competition. 

2022 Annual Awards association community nominations opened, as it was announced that the 2022 awards would be celebrated at the end of this year!   

Three of our athletes were selected for the Australia A team that toured Japan. 

Our Jillaroos athletes went to Alice Springs for a six-day training camp with the Hockey Australia Junior Squad.

The extended Australian Indoor hockey Men’s and Women’s World Cup squads were selected following the recent Indoor Selection Camps in Melbourne and Wollongong.

September 

A Year In Review: September 🏑 

The Hockey Queensland Chemist Warehouse U15 State Championships wrapped up, with the U15 State Squads being selected. 

A Junior Blaze Program Clinic was run in Mackay on 17th September 2022. The clinic followed by a BBQ and signatures with your Brisbane Blaze heroes. 

The Australian Master's Championships - Men and Women – were underway on the Gold Coast and Cairns respectively. Well done to Gold Coast and Cairns for hosting these events in our backyard. 

Jayden Atkinson, Michael Doan, Liam Hart and David Hubbard were named in the Burras team has for the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia from 22-29 October 2022.

Hockeyroo Claire Colwill’s rise as a current and future star of Australian hockey has been recognised with a Tier 1 scholarship from the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF).

October

A Year In Review: October 🏑 

The Sultana Bran Hockey One League began with Round 1 held in Hobart against the Tassie Tigers. This round was played during the U13 Australian Carnival, creating a fantastic opportunity for the junior athletes to watch elite hockey. 

The U13 Queensland Teams had an excellent National Campaign: 
Girls
Cinders – 1st
Embers – 4th

Boys
Cutters – 4th
Sabres – 6th

Our Hockey One League home games were a huge hit, smashing the 2019 attendance numbers and giving Queensland juniors the chance to watch and meet their hockey heroes. 
After a long hiatus, we held the exciting, new Annual Awards Night at The Pavilion, Allan Border Field, Albion.  Congratulations to all of our finalists, winners and Hall of Fame recipients!

The Awards Night coincided with the second Blaze Home Game on Saturday 22nd October, and the AGM with delegates from around Queensland attending all of the events. 

November

A Year In Review: November 🏑 

Brisbane Blaze finished 2nd and 3rd in 2022 Sultana Bran Hockey One League after the Finals Series wrapped up in Bendigo from 19th - 20th November 2022. 

The Men were minor premiers locking in their Finals spot early in the season, and met NSW Pride in their Semi-Final.  After a rain delay due to extreme weather, the game ended in a 1-1 draw. The match was sent to shootouts where underdogs the NSW Pride proved the victors winning 1 - 1 (3 - 5). Brisbane Blaze came out firing in their 3rd / 4th Playoff match beating Canberra Chill 6-2 in more torential rain. 
After a hattrick in the 3rd/4th Playoff game, Joel Rintala was named Top Goal Scorer of the Tournament with 11. 

After a slow start to the season, the Women's team scraped into 4th position and secured their spot in the Finals Series in Bendigo. The team came out with a point to prove and blitzed top of the ladder HC Melbourne in their Semi-Final winning 1-0, and locking in their position in the Grand Final the next day.  Scores were level 2-2 at full time of the Grand Final against NSW Pride, sending the game to shoot outs. In a heart-breaking repeat of the Men's semi-final match-up, the NSW Pride won the shoot out 2 -2 (3 - 1). 

After the State Indoor Championships throughout November, the Queensland teams were selected for the Australian Indoor Championships held in January at Boondall, Brisbane. 

Jamie Dwyer was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame at the QSport Awards Dinner. Congratulations Jamie on your well-deserved induction, and to Alison Lyons for taking home the Administrator of the Year Award and Aleisha Neumann for winning the Officiator of the Year Award!

Queenslanders selected for the Kookaburras Squad that took on India in Adelaide were:
•    Jacob Anderson
•    Daniel Beale
•    Tim Howard
•    Jake Whetton

The Brisbane Blaze were excited to announce that FrontRow Financial joined forces with the Brisbane Blaze and Hockey Queensland.

Our Queenslanders were selected for the 2023 Oceania Junior World Cup Qualifier in Canberra in December
•    Jade Smith
•    Ruby Harris
•    Tatum Stewart
•    Georgina West
•    Jayden Atkinson
•    David Hubbard

December

A Year In Review: December🏑

Australia’s U 21 teams successfully qualified for the World Cup and went undefeated in a 3-game-series against New Zealand with strong performances from the Queensland players. Tatum Stewart finished the series as the top goal scorer, including a hat-trick in game 2.

A long list of Queenslanders were selected for the 2023 Hockeyroos and Kookaburras Squads including two new additions in Jayden Atkinson and Joel Rintala:

• Jacob Anderson

• Jayden Atkinson

• Daniel Beale

• Tim Howard

• Joel Rintala

• Jake Whetton

• Claire Colwill

• Hannah Cullum-Sanders

• Madison Fitzpatrick

• Rebecca Greiner

• Stephanie Kershaw

• Renee Taylor

After stellar performances in the Sultana Bran Hockey One League for the Brisbane Blaze, Mitch Nicholson has been rewarded with a National Development Squad position.

The final 2022 State Championships were completed with the U18 Women’s and Men’s Indoor titles contested in Maryborough and teams selected to compete at the National Indoor Championships in Brisbane in January.