Tokyo hope looks to net next chapter

South West hockey star Jake Harvie says despite the uncertainty of the past 18 months, the Australian team he is a part of is all systems go ahead of the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics. The defender, pictured, who is now an established member of the Kookaburras squad since making his debut in 2017, said it was nice to have a date to put in the calender. “It is really exciting. After the disappointment of last year, it is nice to have something to look forward to,” he said. “Last year was very challenging with so much uncertainty. “After that three-month lockdown, we went back to training and we were a bit unsure whether or not the Olympics were going to go ahead, which definitely made it pretty challenging. “Knowing that we’re going now though is super exciting.” National squad players have sat out the opening rounds of Hockey WA’s Premier League, with training camps on the horizon before the Olympic squad is selected in June. The national squad is set to come to Busselton later this month for a camp, before heading to Darwin, where it is hoped they will face New Zealand in a series of friendlies. “I am just trying to not put too much pressure on myself, enjoy the process and I’m just really grateful that they are going to go ahead and that we have that to look forward to,” Harvie said. The 22-year-old is already a Commonwealth Games gold medallist and has 70 caps for Australia, but with no travelling fans and strict COVID-19 protocols, this tournament will be unlike any other. “I think there will be plenty of differences at this Olympics compared to any in the past and that’s just the way of the world at the moment; trying to keep the public safe, the athletes safe and have the Games run smoothly,” he said. “There are still things that have to be dealt with and that’s not just hockey, but globally, people have to deal with; being able to adapt.” If selected in the squad for the Olympics, Harvie will follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Gordon Pearce, who played hockey at three Olympic Games. “I still pinch myself sometimes that I play for Australia,” he said.