Aust hockey trio go for three Olympics

More than two-thirds of women selected in the expanded Hockeyroos team for the Rio Olympics have no previous Olympic experience.

Madonna Blyth, Teneal Attard and Casey Sablowski are in line to complete an Olympic hat-trick, the trio headlining a mostly youthful 26-strong Australian women's hockey squad that will be shaved to 16 for next year's Rio Games.

Only eight of the expanded Hockeyroos team announced by coach Adam Commens on Friday have Olympic experience, with skipper Blyth, Attard and Sablowski (nee Eastham) the only players in both the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London line-ups.

However 14 bring the experience of being Commonwealth Games gold medallists.

Five players have been elevated from the 2015 national development squad, including Laura Barden, Kate Hanna, Madison Fitzpatrick and Renee Taylor, all of whom made their debuts this year.

Stephanie Kershaw has also made the step up, however her recent knee surgery rules her out of Olympic contention.

Commens said the new faces have added depth to the squad, but warned improvements were needed following a disappointing World League finals campaign in which the world No.2 Hockeyroos finished sixth.

"The World League Final was a great experience for our younger group," he said.

"It challenged them in pressure situations and I think the outcome of the quarter-final (loss to Germany) demonstrated our inexperience.

"We're better for it, and it's better that it happened now than at the Olympics."

The Hockeyroos' Rio preparations will include the Hawke's Bay Cup in New Zealand in April, home Test matches against Great Britain and potentially the Champions Trophy in London in June.

The final Olympic squad of 16 will be named in July.

Australian women's squad:

Teneal Attard, Laura Barden, Madonna Blyth, Edwina Bone, Jane Claxton, Kirstin Dwyer, Madison Fitzpatrick, Anna Flanagan, Kate Hanna, Jodie Kenny, Stephanie Kershaw, Rachael Lynch, Karri McMahon, Georgina Morgan, Gabrielle Nance, Georgia Nanscawen, Ashleigh Nelson, Georgie Parker, Brooke Peris, Casey Sablowski, Kathryn Slattery, Emily Smith, Renee Taylor, Ashlee Wells, Kellie White, Mariah Williams


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Source: AAP



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Aust hockey trio go for three Olympics | SBS News