Border hockey star Sam Daly has had her fair share of achievements in the sport, but being named captain of the Australian Country team tops the list.
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The tour of Hong Kong and Vietnam will be the 28-year-old’s third Australian Country appearance.
Daly will be joined by fellow local product Sam Campbell, who was selected as goalkeeper.
“I’d say it’s my biggest achievement,” Daly said.
“I’ve been lucky to have some really good opportunities to play at some pretty high levels in different places, but this is pretty exciting because I’ve never been captain of a national team before.
“I’ll be happy if I can perform to my potential every game and set a good example for my teammates.”
The side will play against local representative squads in Vietnam and Hong Kong during the two-week trip.
“I think the standard will vary a little,” Daly said.
“It will be a great opportunity to see what they’re doing locally and see a bit of the countries as well.”
Daly admitted the biggest challenge is the fact the team can’t train together in the lead-up to the tour because of how far apart all of the players are.
“We have a fitness program we’ve been doing for a few months and then we meet each other at the airport before the trip,” she said.
Daly made the move to the Border from Melbourne four years ago for work and chose the region because of it’s strong hockey tradition.
The Australian Country team is re-selected every year from the best players at the national championships, which will be staged at Townsville in August.
Daly and her teammates leave for the tour on Friday and return on April 15.