Australian Jackaroos squad set on a new trajectory
The Australian Jackaroos squad has been confirmed for the remainder of the year, with three new additions set to add depth to the contingent. The Australian Jackaroos squad has been bolstered to 22 players for the remainder of the year, after the national selection panel set the sport’s top-tier high-performance contingent on a new trajectory.
Historically, the squad is announced for a full 12-month period in the aftermath of the sport’s most lucrative event, the $250,000 Australian Open, but the panel, led by National Coach Steve Glasson, has elected to only confirm the contract period of the athletes until the conclusion of the upcoming World Bowls Championships this time round.
Unsurprisingly, 19 of the current 2015/16 Jackaroos have been given a five-month lifeline in the squad, while the only other incumbent member, Anne Johns, has announced a shock retirement from the Australian Jackaroos squad and further international selection.
Johns, 36, first made her international debut in 2008 and has amassed 67 international appearances in the eight years since, including a highlight last year when she claimed gold at the Asia Pacific Championships in the women’s fours, but has relinquished her coveted position to focus on family and career pursuits.
“Anne has been a proud and highly respected member of the Jackaroos for the best part of a decade and has contributed significantly to Australia’s success,” Glasson said.
“On behalf of BA and all bowlers across Australia, I wish to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate Anne and wish her every success in the future. Her bubbly, committed and down to earth character will be missed but we look forward to seeing her on the greens in all her other endeavours.”
Three new players have been granted a place in the contingent, with a mixture of experienced hands and fresh blood chosen to add depth to the already talent-ladden squad, including Ben Twist, Scott Thulborn and Dawn Hayman.
Adelaide’s Thulborn, 32, has enjoyed a rich vein of form in recent years, with feats such skipping his all-South Australian men’s fours team to back-to-back victories at the Australian Open the past two years, while those that have witnessed the Australian Premier League know his capabilities on the biggest stage, having been awarded the Most Valuable Player title in the inaugural year.
St Johns Park’s Twist has been on the selector’s radar for some time, but his most recent accomplishment came earlier this month, when he secured the $10,000 first-place prize purse on offer at the Park Beach Bowling Club Open Singles event.
While Twist’s teammate Johns has bowed out of the squad, another has been given an opportunity, in Hayman, 19, who has impressed the selection panel enough to secure a spot in the sport’s main high-performance squad and press her cause for future international representation.
The Australian Jackaroos squad will be selected again for the 2017 year after the conclusion of the sport’s pinnacle event, the World Bowls Championships, which is set to be staged in Christchurch, New Zealand from November 29 to December 11,
Australian Jackaroos women:
Lynsey Clarke (32, Club Helensvale, QLD)
Kelsey Cottrell (26, St Johns Park, NSW)
Dawn Hayman (19, St Johns Park, NSW)
Kristina Krstic (22, Manning Memorial, WA)
Carla Krizanic (26, Sunbury, VIC)
Karen Murphy (41, Cabramatta, NSW)
Chloe Stewart (20, Broadbeach, QLD)
Natasha Scott (25, Raymond Terrace, NSW)
Ellen Ryan (19, Cabramatta, NSW)
Rebecca Van Asch (28, Invermay, TAS)
Australian Jackaroos men:
Mark Casey (34, Club Helensvale, QLD)
Aaron Teys (22, Warilla, NSW)
Scott Thulborn (32, Adelaide, SA)
Ben Twist (26, St Johns Park, NSW)
Max Kleinig (27, Holdfast Bay, SA)
Barrie Lester (34, Mulgrave Country Club, VIC)
Ray Pearse (31, Cabramatta, NSW)
Nathan Rice (37, Club Helensvale, QLD)
Wayne Ruediger (39, Grange, SA)
Aron Sherriff (30, Ettalong Memorial, NSW)
Brett Wilkie (42, Club Helensvale, QLD)
Aaron Wilson (24, Clayton, VIC)
