National Training Centre squads named
53 players have been named as NTC squad members for Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia for the next 12 months. Bowls Australia’s National Training Centre Coaches have today confirmed their squads for 2016/17, with 17 new players granted a berth in the sport’s feeder program for the next 12 months.
The NTC program is the sport’s second-tier high-performance program, and aims to identify and develop players with the ability and capability for future international representation.
Four of the five NTC Coaches have selected their contingents for the six state and territory regions under their guidance, with Gary Willis’ NSW and ACT squads operating on an alternate calendar year model that was announced back in January.
Victoria/Tasmania NTC Coach Mark Cowan leads the group with new blood, selecting five new additions to the Victorian squad and two for the Tasmanian team.
2014 Australian Open men’s singles winner Nathan Wilson (22, Essendon) headlines the list, which also features Curtis Hanley (17, Melbourne), Todd Trewarne (17, Melbourne), Kristen Steele (20, Melbourne) and Liam Garlick-Adams (22, Altona).
Experienced state campaigners Robert McMullen (29, East Launceston) and Courtney Hobbs (24, North Launceston) add depth to the Tasmanian list.
South Australian/Northern Territory NTC Coach Faye Luke also elected to include plenty of new talent, led by dual Australian Open men’s fours winner Steve Dennis (33, West Lakes), and also features Stephanie Clarke (16, Encounter Bay), Sam Denton (17, Holdfast Bay), Luke Day (23, Grange), while David Knight (33, Memorial Bowls Club) is the sole inclusion for the Top End.
Queensland NTC Coach Brett Wilkie has bolstered his outfit with four new members, in Jessie Cottell (15, Broadbeach), Jessica Srisamruaybai (16, Tweed Heads), Shane White (16, Club Helensvale) and Nick Cahill (14, Club Helensvale).
Western Australia’s NTC Coach Therese Hastings, still riding the heights of claiming the Australian Open women’s over-60s pairs title with fellow NTC Coach Luke, has elected to include just one new player this year, in Laura Merz (24, Manning Memorial).
The inclusion marks a return to the program for Merz, Garlick-Adams, Wilson and Hobbs, who have all been granted lifelines after parting ways with the national high-performance pathway for one reason or another since its inception in 2011.
National Coach Steve Glasson, who oversees the sport’s high-performance squads, said these players have earned their privileged position, but issued a stern warning that they need to live up to high expectations.
“This is a great stepping stone to further honours and a privileged opportunity to be a part of our sport’s elite program, and to work with the experienced and very knowledgeable State and Territory based NTC Coaches,” Glasson said.
“The thing to remember as a selected player is this is not the time to relax, this is the time to get fair dinkum and commit and work tirelessly to ensure players reach their potential. I am not interested in our NTC Coaches committing valuable time, resources and expertise into those who only have mediocre goals or a lacklustre desire to be the absolute best they can be. This is a competitive environment, I can’t wait to see how these NTC Squad members adapt and dig in.
“Australia is the number-one ranked country and that’s where we aim to stay. These players are our future and with this comes commitment, sacrifice and sweat, with that comes results only the committed will enjoy.”
The Australian Under-18 squad remains current, with the new 2016/17 contingent set to be announced following the sport’s premier junior competition, the Australian Under-18 Championships, which will be staged at Holdfast Bay Bowls Club, South Australia from October 1 to 3.
Following last week’s announcement of the players chosen to compete at the $100,000 Bowls Premier League in November, there has been a change of personnel at the Hong Kong International Bowls Classic, due to the conflicting scheduling.
Kristina Krstic, who will make her BPL debut for the Perth Suns on November 8, is now not able to compete in Hong Kong, with the national selection panel choosing Dawn Hayman as her replacement.
St Johns Park’s Hayman, 19, will take to the international arena alongside fellow Jackaroos young-gun Chloe Stewart, from Broadbeach.
Bowls Australia would like to acknowledge the assistance and funding provided by the Australian Commonwealth Games Association to Bowls Australia for athletes in the 2016 NextGEN AUSComGames Squad program.
NextGEN AUSComGames was devised by the ACGA to provide assistance to junior players who have been identified as potential 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games, and/or 2018 or 2022 Commonwealth Games level athletes.
Full NTC lists (with the exception of NSW and ACT):
NT NTC squad:
Lucas Baker (34, Nightcliff)
Mark Malogorski (46, Nightcliff)
Christian Pace (31, Darwin)
Marcus Simpson (13, Nightcliff)
Shae Smith (18, Darwin)
David Knight* (33, Memorial Bowls Club)
Queensland NTC squad:
Emma Brown (36, Broadbeach)
Kurt Brown (26, Club Kawana)
Scott De Jongh-Fitzpatrick (23, Burleigh Heads)
Sean Ingham (21, Broadbeach)
Natasha Jones (20, Club Helensvale)
Bolivia Millerick (22, Broadbeach)
Casssandra Millerick (22, Broadbeach)
Georgia White (27, Club Helensvale)
Sam White (24, Paradise Point)
Andrew Howie (28, Club Helensvale)
Jessie Cottell* (15, Broadbeach)
Jessica Srisamruaybai* (16, Tweed Heads)
Shane White* (16, Club Helensvale)
Nick Cahill* (14, Bargara)
SA NTC squad:
James Bodnar (17, Henley)
Mark Haines (28, West Lakes)
Matthew Northcott (23, Adelaide)
Tyson Wilson (17, Grange)
Stephanie Clarke* (16, Encounter Bay)
Sam Denton* (17, Holdfast Bay)
Luke Day* (23, Grange)
Steve Dennis* (33, West Lakes)
Tasmania NTC squad:
Hollie Keen (18, Sheffield)
Lachlan Sims (16, Travallyn)
Michael Sims (19, Travallyn)
Robert McMullen* (29, East Launceston)
Courtney Hobbs* (24, North Launceston)
Victoria NTC squad:
Jay Bye-Norris (19, Essendon)
Ben Cotter (18, Bundoora)
Makayla Gibson (18, Bundoora)
Nathan Lynch (19, Moonee Valley)
Dane McKinnon (22, Altona)
Natasha Russell (16, Clayton)
Tayla Spence (21, Bundoora)
Kylie Whitehead (22, Wodonga)
Curtis Hanley* (17, Melbourne)
Todd Trewarne* (17, Melbourne)
Kristen Steele* (20, Melbourne)
Liam Garlick-Adams* (22, Altona)
Nathan Wilson* (22, Essendon)
WA NTC squad:
Corey Bessant (28, Doubleview)
Lewis Grigg (24, Osborne Park)
Cameron Harris (20, Cambridge)
Shenayde Heldt (24, Manning Memorial)
Nathan Jones (39, Kardinya)
Cody Packer (23, Bedford)
Laura Merz* (24, Manning Memorial)
Note: * indicates a new member of the NTC squad for 2016/17.
