Earlier this week Watterson was named in the national junior squad, her selection a reward for the countless hours of work she has put into her game over the last two seasons.

While her time with Bathurst Premier League Hockey club Souths has been minimal, Watterson has been impressing as part of the New South Wales Institute of Sport’s program.

This latest selection comes after Watterson was named in the NSW Arrows women’s squad for the upcoming Australian Hockey League (AHL) competition.

The goal for coach staff is to develop players in the squad, which also includes Lithgow’s Abby Wilson and Rene Hunter, through to the national development squad then the Hockey Australia High Performance Program.

“We have selected 24 athletes who we believe will be the next generation of high performance hockey athletes in Australia,” Hockey Australia’s national talent pathway manager Michael Crooks said.

“Changes to this squad may be made once the development squad and high performance program squads are re-set following on from the Australian Hockey League.”

This year’s AHL competition will take place in Perth from September 28 until October 8, and includes teams from India and New Zealand.