Two of Tamworth’s most prodigious hockey talents have joined forces on the other side of the world.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Matt Willis and Sam Liles are currently plying their trade with Laren Heren in the Dutch Division 2 league.
It is the first time the pair, who have both worn the blue of NSW and green and gold of their country, have really played together.
Aside from their State Championship jaunts with the Tamworth Frogs, and a couple of AHL games for the Waratahs the two have never suited up for the same team.
They played for different clubs in Tamworth – Willis with Tudor Wests and Liles with Workies – and the four-year age gap, Willis is 27 and Liles 23, meant, while they were on a similar trajectory, they were rarely in the same rep sides.
“It’s good fun,” Willis said of playing together, Liles adding that it is “pretty special being from the same small town”.
The competition is in it’s customary winter recess at the moment enabling the pair to head home to catch up with family and friends ahead of the start of preparations for the second half of the season.
It’s Liles’ second tourney in Europe after playing with Royal Daring HC in Belgium the previous season.
“I loved it. Obviously playing in their top division you play against some of the top players in the world,” he said.
On the back of that he was keen to do a season over in the Netherlands.
Willis too was looking to experience a season overseas.
“I was keen to do a season but was looking for the right fit. Having Sam there sealed the deal,” he said.
Surrounded by history and picture postcard scenery the two are having a ball.
They live together and regularly cycle to training, albeit rugged up in jackets, scarves and beanies.
They also help out with the club’s juniors and have formed a good on-field combination with Liles playing in the midfield and Willis as an attacking midfielder.
The former Kookaburra is enjoying the chance to play a more attacking role, after playing predominantly as a defender or midfielder with the Australian side, and is Laren’s leading goalscorer, Liles chiming in that they call him Jamie Dwyer.
And while they preferably would like to be playing in the top division (Laren was relegated in 2014) the hockey is still top quality, both noting the quality of the basic skills and the emphasis on the passing game.
It is a bit of a contrast to the more ‘run and gun’ style favoured in Australia.
Every game is close too, Willis said. So far this season they have had five draws in their 11 games.
The side is comparatively young – Willis is the third oldest - with several of the players university students and a couple even still at school, and is a mix of nationalities.
As well as Willis and Liles there are players from Belgium, Ireland and Poland.
The pre-season will commence in February with the competition itself striking back up again in March.
“It looks like we’ll have a big pre-season block. We play some of the 1 league sides and we’ve got a pre-season trip to Spain,” Liles said.
“I’m pretty excited about that.”
February is though traditionally the coldest part of the season.
So far they have been “quite fortunate”. There was one game they played in pouring rain and fog so thick that you couldn’t see the other end of the field.
“We were down 3-nil after 15 minutes,” Willis recalled
Other than that the conditions haven’t been too bad.
Laren can, with good results, finish as high as third, which would put them into the finals.
“From my experience last year with the season being split up into two seasons you get teams that can really change their momentum,” Liles said.
