Eight Bunbury and Districts Hockey Association players selected in the WA Country Men’s hockey team

WA is set to be strongly represented by the South West after several local talents were selected for the WA Country men’s team for 2022. Eight of the best hockey players in the region were chosen on Monday to represent WA at the 2022 Hockey Australia Country Challenge in Albany from August 6 to 13 — the first time WA has sent a team to the tournament since 2019. The side was selected off the back of the Bunbury and Districts Hockey Association’s most dominant CBH Country Championships in recent memory, where they went undefeated in the tournament and beat Lower Great Southern 2-0 in the grand final to claim the title as the best country hockey association in the State. Boyanup’s Ryan McGeoch, Raine Fisher, Sam Brown, Lachlan Overton, Jarrod Booth and Brayden Dalton and Towns/Souths’ Logan Burgemeister were named in the side after successful country championships campaigns. Boyanup goalkeeper Jason Vuletich was rewarded for his strong form at SWHL level. The side will be led by Boyanup coach Lawrie Tylor and his assistant Collie hockey legend Keith Old, who both helped lead Bunbury to the Country Championship title last month. Defender Ryan McGeoch is set to make his first appearance for the side and said he was thrilled to see Bunbury well represented after the country championships. “It’s a sense of accomplishment to be selected, the goal was to play well as a region and to win the grand final with our great coaches, managers and the Bunbury and Districts Hockey Association president’s backing,” McGeoch said. “For the Boyanup lads, it is exciting to have the guys be recognised for the hard work they have put in the SWHL and to show what South West hockey has to offer at that next level, and same too for the other lads that were selected from the region.” McGeoch said the side was very talented and he was excited to see what he and the team could achieve. “To be selected was a major personal achievement,” he said. “We have a strong group of past Premier One players from Perth that have moved to the country, and a great collection of youth from the other regions that have really great skills and game awareness. “I hope that we play well, we have some really experienced players and a motivated group to want to go away and achieve, the coaches have instilled that message too. “I am excited to play at this level having really craved this level of competition since I moved home.”