SEVEN Bathurst players will make their way to Toowoomba this weekend for the start of the 2014 Australian Country Hockey Championships where NSW will be looking to defend gold medals in both men’s and women’s competitions.

Though St Pat’s pair Shane Conroy and Jaden Ekert withdrew from the NSW men’s team, Saint Sam Macpherson and Souths star Dylan Smith will both be part of the title defence.

Macpherson has been a regular in the past while Smith makes his debut for the side at opens level.

In the women’s team Kelsey Willott (Bathurst City), Sarah Watterson (Souths) and Karen Fieldus (Pat’s) are joined by another Souths player with Maddie Boyce getting a late call-up. 

City’s Casey Bayliss will also make her maiden appearance for the NSW Country.

In her first season back after three years studying at university in the United States, she can’t wait to cap her return by aiming at national glory.

“I’m thrilled to get the chance,” she said.

“Getting picked for this side has given me a bit of a second wind as a hockey player. I was starting to think about retiring from trying to reach that sort of level.

“I’d never even trialled for Country before in seniors.

“Going away with the opens Bathurst team to the state titles, I had it in my head that I would give this one last shot and try to make the NSW side and maybe get looked at for Australian Country as well.”

Bayliss is no stranger to representative hockey, having played for state sides and other elite squads during her junior years.

She said that sort of background stands her in good stead to try and help the NSW team defend what was a hard-won title. Fieldus starred in the grand final as NSW won a shoot-out 4-1 having been locked at 2-all with Queensland at full-time.

“To be honest I’m not nervous at all, every NSW team I played for when I was younger won whether it was in under 15s or 16s or whatever. I think going into any elite competition NSW are always going to be strong,” she said.

“It has made it easier to be a part of it to have players like Kelsey, Karen and Sarah there who I’m familiar with, but having been to a couple of the training camps the whole group are lovely and don’t make you feel like a newbie at all.”

Generally a forward, Bayliss isn’t certain what role she will be expected to play once the tournament starts with a clash against South Australia tomorrow.

However, she has the benefit of a long association with Lithgow-based coach Wally Gaynor which should help.

“Wally coached me at the Western Region Academy of Sport and other sides I’ve been in, he knows the way I play,” she said.

“I don’t know what purpose I’ll have out there. I’d prefer to be up front, but I’m quite happy to push back and play a role further down field if that’s what is needed.”

At club level Bathurst City look to be peaking at the right time but with self-deprecating humour, Bayliss said she is hoping that her personal form lifts when it counts beginning with this weekend. 

“I don’t feel like I’m in full form at the moment. Actually I feel like I’ve played pretty crap lately,” she said.

“I’ve tried to sit back a little bit more for City and give the younger players as much of an opportunity as they can get to control the game and they’ve done a great job. So maybe it isn’t so much that I’ve been crap, just that they’ve been very good.

“I hope that’s what it is anyway.”

The NSW women kick off their gold medal defence at 8.15am tomorrow against South Australia, with the men’s match against the same opponent to follow.