MADI Ratcliffe has hit the ground running in Perth.
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The Warrnambool hockey export had barely landed at her new base before she made an impression, earning a spot in the Hockeyroos’ squad for its series against Great Britain.
While she is no guarantee to get a game, the 18-year-old said she was thrilled to have been named so early on in the year.
The series started in Bunbury on Friday, with another match scheduled for Sunday, before heading to Perth for the remainder of the series.
“There’s another four (matches in Perth) that if I’m lucky, I might play in, but I’m not counting my chickens (before they hatch),” she said.
Ratcliffe earned an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship late last year and moved to Perth at the end of the January to begin training alongside the Australian national senior squad.
She said she will be sure to leave no stone unturned at training as she tries to impress her coaches and earn a coveted spot in the Hockeyroos team.
“(I’ll be) training hard, getting some good scores on my GPS each week,” she said.
“Hopefully the coaches notice that and pick me, but I’ve only been here two weeks.”
Ratcliffe said she spent her first week in Western Australia with a senior team member before moving out, and had enjoyed the step up to training alongside the sport’s elite.
“It’s been a pretty smooth transition,” she said.
(I’ll be) training hard, getting some good scores on my GPS each week. Hopefully the coaches notice that and pick me, but I’ve only been here two weeks.
- Madi Ratcliffe
“They’re all really, really lovely.
“It’s pretty cool hitting out with the people you’ve been watching, and all of a sudden you’re playing with them.
“I was pretty nervous in the first sessions, but after that I settled in.”
After the series against Great Britain, the Hockeyroos do not play again until April, when they compete in the Hawke’s Bay Cup in New Zealand.
In the interim, Ratcliffe said she would be training as hard as she can to make the most of her opportunity.
“(I’ll be) just slugging it out, keep on getting used to it and finding my feet for the next few months,” she said.