2023 World Championships: Right at Home Jackaroos men’s preview
It has been a staggering seven years since the last World Bowls Championships in Christchurch in 2016, and a lot has happened since Australia hoisted the Taylor Trophy and finished with the silver in the Leonard Trophy standings.
Australia’s Gold Coast will play host to this year’s showpiece event and the Right at Home Jackaroos will be in the thick of the action as the green and gold draped stars host yet another tournament.
Let’s have a look at the male members of the open squad, what they’re playing and why they can come home with the gold medal.
Aron Sherriff
One of just two of the open men to have played and won a World Championship gold on a previous occasion, Sherriff will act as a back end pillar of the triples and fours disciplines.
Affectionately known as Omar, the Queenslander will look to add to his 2012 fours triumph when he teams up with Corey Wedlock, Aaron Teys and Carl Healey in the same format.
Wedlock and Healey will be his teammates again in the triples as he strives to earn an astonishing seventh medal at the tournament, and what bodes well for him is that he has earned two at each of the events he has been present at.
The 37-year-old is in the form of his career, having won three Australian Open titles, two World Bowls Indoor Championship gold medals, the Australian Indoor Championships, two Australian Championships, a Bowls Premier League (BPL), three BPL MVP awards and a Golden Nugget since the commencement of 2022.
Aaron Wilson
Looking to become just the third bowler in history to take home the World Bowls Championship singles and Commonwealth Games singles, Wilson has history on the line when he sets foot on the Gold Coast greens.
Only David Bryant and Margaret Johnston have ever achieved the feat, with both Wilson and Ellen Ryan looking to become the first Australians to take home the blue ribboned prizes at both of bowls’ pinnacle competitions.
Wilson is the two-time defending singles champion at the Games and in addition he boasts one World Bowls Championships gold, taking the pairs title with Brett Wilkie in 2016.
He will look to defend his crown with Aaron Teys in 2023 as the Australian pair strive to maintain their strong form on home soil.
His in-competition form is something to behold and the way he performs in the high pressure moments will go down in the annals of bowls history, and his title winning effort in the men’s pairs at this year’s Australian Open is a testament to that fact.
Aaron Teys
One of the strongest competitors in Australian conditions at both the front or back ends of squads, Teys is one of the ultimate team players in bowls.
The New South Welshman will partner with his state teammate in Aaron Wilson in the pairs event, one which he recently progressed to the Australian Open with Sherriff, taking the contest to the final bowl before eventually going down.
Making his debut at a major international event, Teys knows how to win trophies on Australian soil, having won three BPL titles, numerous Australian Championships and two Australian Open crowns, including this year’s fours.
Teys will play the fours with Sherriff, Healey and his best friend in Wedlock as he strives for a maiden world title.
With his sensational draw ability and team-first nature it will be a formidable task to overcome any team that he is a part of.
Corey Wedlock
Also on his World Bowls Championships debut, Wedlock brings a superb drawing ability and deadly back end game that can trouble the world’s best.
Participating in the triples and fours, the Warilla member will utilise his Commonwealth Games experience from last year in terms of being in a competition mode and it will surely make him one of the strongest competitors in the field.
Having recently won his maiden Australian Open in the men’s fours with Teys, Sherriff and Barrie Lester, the 27-year-old is in supreme form and brimming with confidence ahead of this year’s tournament.
Wedlock also brings numerous Australian Championships gold medals, three BPL crowns and a BPL MVP award.
His strong bond with his fellow Australian team members will ensure wonderful cohesion throughout the event.
Carl Healey
A fine player both on-green and culturally, Healey made his major event debut at the Commonwealth Games last year where he earned a silver medal in the men’s triples.
He will take part in the discipline again, as well as the fours, where he will serve as a fine cog within what is a supremely strong lineup.
The Cabramatta exponent possesses a strong drive and deft touch that will see him trouble his direct opponents, as well as a superb mentality on the green that will keep his teammates focussed and engaged.
Healey has won a plethora of events on home soil and represents his nation with pride, which is sure to take him to illustrious heights at this year’s World Championships.
