SIX Beaches Hockey Club juniors have proudly represented NSW at their respective national championships.

Four girls played in their respective NSW teams, as Breah Fischer and Mackenna Ensbey represented NSW at the Hockey Australia Under 18 Championships in Cairns, while Molly Williams and Eliza Berrick represented NSW at the Hockey Australia Under 15 Championships in Newcastle.

Max Miller and Levi Fischer also represented NSW in Newcastle in the under 15 boys state team.

Mackenna Ensbey and Breah Fischer played in their fourth and fifth national championships respectively, while the other four representatives were making their debut for NSW.

Breah Fischer said she enjoyed her time representing her state in Cairns.

“Macca (Mackenna) and I had an awesome time up in Cairns,” she said.

“The hockey was really fast and competitive and our teams performed really well.

“We actually got to play each other as part of the classification rounds which was fun.

“Cairns is a great spot to visit and we managed to get out and explore the area as well.”

Beaches Hockey Club president Jonathan Williams explained why both girls had represented NSW on multiple occasions.

“I can see why Hockey NSW has always had a strong interest in these two girls,” he said.

“They’re both incredibly fast, fit and skilful with a natural instinct for the game.

“Breah is a defensive midfielder with a wonderful tackling technique and excellent vision.

“Mackenna is more of an attacking midfielder with silky skills and a damaging tomahawk.”

Williams described the tremendous skill sets of the four NSW debutants.

“I’ve been coaching some of these kids for six or seven years now and it’s great to see their talents recognised,” he said.

“Molly Williams is a natural ball-distributor with excellent vision and timing.

“Eliza Berrick is incredibly fit, fast and tenacious around the ball.

“Max Miller has the ability to turn a game on its head and Levi Fischer, well the world really is his oyster.

“He scored one of the goals of the tournament in Newcastle and I was privileged to be there to see it.

“These kids all love their hockey and they’re a pleasure to coach, what more could we ask for?”

The journey to play for NSW at the national championships all started at the age-based state championships in 2021, where initial ‘squads’ of 40 to 50 athletes were selected for three development camps in Sydney.

The six players were put through their paces before state teams were announced for those that impressed the selection group.

Hockey NSW Regional Coaching Coordinator, Leigh Macintosh, said the future was bright for Coffs Harbour hockey.

“We’re really proud of what these kids have been able to achieve this year, they are future stars of the sport and it’s great to see their talents recognized with selection for NSW,” he said.

“We continue to focus our efforts on junior development and growing the game in the local area and these five juniors are a great example of that.

“We’ve got a crop of young players coming through the system and the future is extremely bright for the sport here in Coffs Harbour.”

By Aiden BURGESS