‘Relieved and happy’: Williams named to return to Hockeyroos set-up

After bursting onto the international scene and becoming an Olympian at Rio in 2016, the 23-year-old has since spent the better part of the last two years in rehab after battling osteitis pubis.

Williams initially tackled rehab to treat the condition but after eight months medicos determined the Hockeyroos striker would need surgery, the process to lengthen her adductor tendon and clean out of her pubic symphysis resigning the gun goal-scorer to a further eight months on the sidelines.

She’s completed that process now, in flying colours too, and says she’s returning to the Hockeyroos’ Perth base “the fittest and strongest I’ve been in my career”.

And she’ll do so as a member of the Hockey Australia national senior women’s squad, an outfit confirmed at the beginning of December.

“I’ve been out for 18 months now so definitely relieved, definitely happy now that I’m out the other side of the injury,” Williams said, the injury ruling her out of Commonwealth Games contention this year.

“Hopefully I can play some games next year with the Hockeyroos again, because it’s been a while.”

The games Williams wants to be part of will be in Tokyo, the 2020 Olympic Games heading to Japan in a little over 12 months.

She said that Olympic dream helped fuel her recovery.

“It’s been a tough 18 months to try and stick to it and have that goal in mind but, definitely, Tokyo is the goal and I’m doing everything I can to make sure I’m there playing in that team in 2020,” Williams added.

The 23-year-old was the star of Australia’s under-23 women’s development tour of China in November.

She scored six goals across six games in her comeback in national colours in a promising return to international hockey but, encouragingly, believes her best is yet to come.

“I’m working back to my best, but this is the fittest and strongest I’ve been in my career, which is a positive,” Williams said.

“I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am, and the hockey’s not far off.

“I scored consistently in every game (in China), so the hockey’s not far off but a bit more under my belt will be good.”

Hockeyroos coach Paul Gaudoin said the 2019 national squad has been picked with one eye on the Tokyo games and Williams believes the attacking game the new Australian coach likes to employ will suit her game to a tee.

“I don’t over think anything I just try and play what comes naturally. (Gaudoin) kind of wants us to do that so his coaching will work well with me as a player,” she added.

The Hockeyroos finished the 2018 year ranked third after being runners-up at the Champions Trophy in November – a tournament Williams missed – and will compete in the inaugural FIH Pro League from January to June next year, followed by the Oceania Cup which is the qualification event for the Tokyo Olympics.

"We’re looking to narrow our focus towards Tokyo and have identified the key skills we believe necessary to enable success,” Gaudion said.

“It’s been a tough process. There’s a lot of good players who’ve missed out.

“But we want to give some opportunities to people who’ve been performing well in our national level, internationally or in their domestic environment.”