The NSW under 21s men’s team are Australian champions following a bumper performance at the 2017 U21 Australian National Hockey Championships this month.
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And leading the team to victory was Parkes’ own Kurt Lovett.
The 20-year-old captained the undefeated 21s over the seven days of the national titles, held from July 7 to 14 in Wollongong.
After NSW worked their way through their pool games and the finals, they faced Queensland in the grand final.
“They were pretty strong,” Lovett said.
“We were winning 3-0 at half time and we finished 4-3.
“It was a little bit frantic in the end.”
Either way, the side’s back-to-back wins left Lovett feeling very proud of his team.
He also enjoyed his time as captain, saying it was the first time he was appointed “dedicated captain” during the entire championships.
“I was captain [of the side] last year with one of my mates,” he said.
“There’s like a leadership group but this time they sort of made me dedicated captain.
“There’s a little bit of pressure, like to perform consistently...but the best form of leadership is to lead by example.
“I still have another year in the 21s too.”
With the titles two weeks ago, Lovett hasn’t had any time to celebrate or reflect on his golden achievement just yet.
He has been focused on preparing for his next venture and perhaps his biggest.
Last month Lovett was selected for the 2017 Men’s Australian Development Squad following a camp in Perth.
As part of his selection, Lovett will set off on a 17-day tour of Europe, departing for Germany today.
“This is a top tier group – you have the Kookaburras, then you have the Australian Development Squad,” he said.
“I was part of the Australian junior program but it’s the first time I’ve been selected for the seniors.
“This is a pathway to the top level [of hockey].”
Lovett said the squad selection was one of his short term goals.
He also has his eyes set on playing for the Kookaburras one day.
Between July 28 and August 14, the squad will travel between Belgium and Holland, playing against the likes of Belgium, Germany, Holland, England and Ireland.
Lovett has already had a taste of playing against Germany and England, facing these teams in the Junior World Cup in India last December.
“We’ll play test matches but it’s more focused on the development,” Lovett said.
“It’s the opportunity to go and play good hockey again.”
It’ll be Lovett’s first time travelling to Europe and he has some knowledge of what to expect.
“They (the teams) always are a little bit different,” he said.
“We have players who have played them before so we have some clue about them.
“We do our background work and learn what to expect,” he said.
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