Hockey: Laura Hall, Owen Mackay and Ella Tanna to play for NSW at under-13s national championships

The rising Tamworth hockey talent will on Monday wing her way to Tasmania for the under-13s National Hockey Championships.

She is one of three Tamworth players selected to represent NSW at the tournament, which gets underway on Wednesday, with Ella Tanna joining her in the Lions girls side and Owen Mackay playing with the Stars boys.

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"I'm really really nervous, but also excited," Hall said on her way down to Newcastle on Friday.

From there she will head to Sydney on Saturday for a two-day training camp before flying to Hobart on Monday.

The first time the 13-year-old, who has been playing hockey since she was three, will don the blue she can't wait, especially after being selected in the initial squad last year only for COVID to intervene.

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The selection process to make teams for Tasmania started with the state under-13s championships. Following those Hall, Tanna and Mackay were named in extended boys and girls squads to attend a training camp at Port Macquarie, where from around 60 the squads were cut down to the Stars and Lions teams.

They were announced the Tuesday night following.

Trying to "distract" herself by watching tv, Hall was alerted to the happy news when her sister yelled it out.

It led, understandably, to a few tears.

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In preparation, the centre-mid/attacking-mid has been doing a lot of training with the AAP squad, and coaches, on top of her regular club training with Tudor Wests.

Pretty much every day she has been out at the hockey fields for either training or games.

She has been complimenting that with some gym work.

She heads away bouyed by premiership success, being part of the Tudors second grade side that beat Flames in the grand final 2-1 last Saturday. Her Tudor Maroon side also made the under-13s decider but went down to Services Blue.

The region will have a strong representation in Tasmania with Hockey New England's Luke Whitty in the Lions boys side, Angus Schmude the Stars boys, Ashlee Morgan the Lions girls and Lucy Deiderick the Stars girls.

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