Brisbane Blaze to return to Darwin take on the SRA Territory Stingers

The Brisbane Blaze will once again take on the SRA Territory Stingers in a pre-Hockey One Season trip to Darwin, NT in their Festival of Hockey this September.

The Festival of Hockey will take place at the MWT Hockey Centre, Darwin on September 20-21.

The return underscores the growing partnership between Hockey Queensland and Hockey NT, with the organisations having worked closely for the past two years.

Hockey Qld high performance manager Lee Bodimeade said they were looking forward to playing the Stingers again and furthering the relationship across borders.

“The inaugural trip last year prior to Hockey One was great for our preparation as we then proceeded to win both the Men and Women’s titles,” he said.

“Hopefully that’s a good omen for us again this year. We are looking forward to continuing this relationship with Hockey NT in the future.”

Hockey NT chief executive Jason Butcher said this gave the Territory an important chance to measure their progress from 2023.

“Facing the Brisbane Blaze again is the next crucial step in our planned journey back to Hockey One,” he said.

“It allows us to accurately gauge our progress over the last 12 months and put pressure on ourselves to show that progress.”

Territory products Noah Fahy, Tyler Spry and Hayden Pease, who are currently part of the Blaze squads, will also get to play in front of their home crowd as part of the match.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for these boys to play in front of their family and friends here in Darwin,” Butcher said.

“Their presence in the Blaze squads is a testament to the talent that continues to emerge from the Territory.”

Kookaburra legend Kieran Govers is coaching the Stingers men’s team this year and has his exciting young group poised to steal a win this year.

‘”It’s always a great opportunity to play games but to be able to play the reigning champions is a huge bonus for the stingers,” he said.

“It’s going to allow us to size up against the top players in the country and produce a good challenge for us.”

The Stingers Women have signed current Hockeyroo Brooke Peris, former Hockeyroo and Queensland star Kirstin Dwyer, and New Zealand defender Izzy Gill for the matches.