2024 Right at Home Jackaroos Trans Tasman squads announced
The Right at Home Jackaroos squads that will represent Australia at the 2024 Trans Tasman in New Zealand in February have been announced.
There will be three components of the Australian contingent that will travel to Lower Hutt with Open, Development and Para teams all competing for the respective trophies.
The National Selection Panel has made just one player change to the open team that performed in exemplary fashion at the 2023 World Bowls Championships on the Gold Coast, finishing with three gold medals, two silver and two bronze across the fortnight.
Multiple Commonwealth and World Champion Natasha Van Eldik is the inclusion, coming in for the retired Lynsey Clarke, and will take up her place skipping the pairs and fours disciplines.
Kelsey Cottrell will take the singles position, as well as the skipper title in the triples where she clinched a famous title on the Gold Coast in September.
Ellen Ryan retains her place in the team, with the two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist set to lead the pairs and play as second in the fours.
Ryan’s Birmingham teammate Kristina Krstic will join her in the fours as the lead, while also assuming the same position in the triples.
Dawn Hayman rounds out the quintet and will play as second in the triples and third in the fours.
The men’s team sees no positional changes to any of the disciplines from the Gold Coast, with two-time Commonwealth Games champion Aaron Wilson set to lace up in the singles position once again, as well as his role as the skip in the pairs.
Aaron Teys will join Wilson in the pairs as well as joining the fours contingent as the second.
Aron Sherriff will be back in action following what has been one of the greatest individual years in 2023 that has seen him become Australia’s most successful World Bowls Championships male athlete with three gold medals.
The Broadbeach product will skip the fours once again and play as a second in the triples.
Carl Healey will anchor the triples and sit as a third in fours, while Corey Wedlock will lead both disciplines respectively.
Limited to two past internationals per gender, including World Bowls Championships and Commonwealth Games representatives, the 2024 Trans-Tasman Development Series will see the Jackaroos’ up and coming stars compete against their Blackjack counterparts in what will be a fantastic opportunity to test their skills and put their best foot forward to take the next step towards the open category.
In the women’s team, Jamie-Lee Worsnop will front up in the singles and skip the triples event alongside Cassandra Millerick in the lead position and Brianna Smith in second.
Millerick and Smith will reprise those roles in the fours.
Kylie Whitehead will lead the pairs for Chloe Stewart, with the Victorian to play as a third for the latter in the fours discipline.
The men’s team will see Nathan Black take the singles spot as well as the skipper’s position in the pairs, with Nick Cahill to lead for him before fronting up in the same role in the fours.
Ben Twist will skip both triples and fours, with Matt Lucas and Cody Packer joining him in both disciplines.
The para format will look slightly different to what has been the norm since last year’s Trans Tasman, with the two nations trialling a new format including mixed and vision-impaired/para combination events.
Calvin Rodgers and Jacky Hudson make up the vision impaired contingent with Serena Bonnell and Louise Hoskins the female paras selected to head across the ditch.
James Reynolds and Tony Bonnell will be the para males present at the event.
The 2024 Trans Tasman runs from February 2-4, 2024, at the Naenae Bowling Club in New Zealand.
Right at Home Australian Jackaroos 2024 Trans Tasman line-ups:
Women’s Singles: Kelsey Cottrell
Women’s Pairs: Ellen Ryan & Natasha Van Eldik
Women’s Triples: Kristina Krstic, Dawn Hayman & Kelsey Cottrell
Women’s Fours: Kristina Krstic, Ellen Ryan, Dawn Hayman & Natasha Van Eldik
Men’s Singles: Aaron Wilson
Men’s Pairs: Aaron Teys & Aaron Wilson
Men’s Triples: Corey Wedlock, Aron Sherriff & Carl Healey
Men’s Fours: Corey Wedlock, Aaron Teys, Carl Healey & Aron Sherriff
Para Women: Serena Bonnell, Louise Hoskins & Jacky Hudson (Director: Rob Hudson)
Para Men: Tony Bonnell, James Reynolds & Calvin Rodgers (Director: Jason Scheutjens)
Development Women’s Singles: Jamie-Lee Worsnop
Development Women’s Pairs: Kylie Whitehead & Chloe Stewart
Development Women’s Triples: Cassandra Millerick, Brianna Smith & Jamie-Lee Worsnop
Development Women’s Fours: Cassandra Millerick, Brianna Smith, Kylie Whitehead & Chloe Stewart
Development Men’s Singles: Nathan Black
Development Men’s Pairs: Nick Cahill & Nathan Black
Development Men’s Triples: Matt Lucas, Cody Packer & Ben Twist
Development Men’s Fours: Nick Cahill, Cody Packer, Matt Lucas & Ben Twist
