Albury Hockeyroos export Jocelyn Bartram has set her sights on making the Australian squad for April’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 24-year-old goalkeeper has been a regular member of the Hockeyroos’ outfit in the past season and is hoping to secure a place for what will be the biggest tournament of her career on home soil.
Coupled with that is the ability to stake a claim for a spot in Australia’s World Cup team in London in July.
“Commonwealth Games are a massive one for us and it’s even more exciting that it’s a home Games,” Bartram said.
“Everyone in the squad is really eager to push for selection, so it’s going to be a very tight training environment for the next few months.
“It’s going to be a huge year with two major competitions that are both very valuable to the team and our world ranking.”
Defending champions Australia currently sit fifth in women’s hockey and will face plenty of tough competition at the Commonwealth Games from England (second) and New Zealand (fourth).
Ten nations will contest the event in two pools, with the top-two from each group to progress to the semi-finals.
“We try to treat it the same, but there’s a bit of pressure from the Hockeyroos’ success at the Commonwealth Games recently and the same with the Kookaburras, rather than the fact it’s a home Games,” Bartram said.
“There’s pressure to defend our title that we won at the last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“No matter what competition we play in, the preparation is the same, but I think the thing we’ll have to learn how to handle is the added distractions.
“There’s a lot more opportunities for family and friends to come and visit and a lot more media attention than we might get if we were playing overseas.”
Bartram established herself in the Hockeyroos’ ranks during the 2017 season, but knows she will need to continue to improve to retain her position.
“I’ve definitely felt a lot more comfortable in the national team this year and less of a rookie than I have in the past couple of years,” she said.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a few opportunities to perform as well.
“We’re improving as a group and that’s really pushing everyone to have to be the best they can be in order to be selected, which is a really good place to be.”
The Hockeyroos have a two-week training camp commencing on January 8, including five matches against Spain in Perth, before taking on China in a further five games in early February.
“They’ll be our main lead-in games and the group that is selected will have a couple of games on the Gold Coast, but the 10 games in Perth are our main selection and practice matches to make sure the group and the 18 that are selected to go are in prime condition,” Bartram said.