Canberra's Staines brothers dig in to realise Australian hockey dreams

He doesn't know the number at first glance, but he whips around and tells the boys he has to take this call. An important one, he says.

But really, he wouldn't mind just a few minutes away from digging footings.

He answers and finds himself talking about jumping on flights to Austria, Germany and South Africa with his brother - but they're not planning a holiday.

Staines brothers Jake and Ben have been named in the Australian team for the FIH indoor hockey World Cup, to be played in Pretoria from February 5.

MORE SPORT:

Joining the Canberra Chill duo in the 12-man Australian squad following their impressive Hockey League One is Canberra goalkeeper Brendan Hill.

The Staines brothers moved to Perth - the base of the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos until at least 2032 - to chase a hockey dream, putting themselves in the box seat to realise a green and gold ambition.

"We moved over for the Australian development squad and Kookas, it was just more convenient to be here in Perth, right under their noses," Staines said.

"If they wanted us to train, we can make it, we're there and we can do it. If you're over on the east coast and they need someone to fill in, they're not going to fly you over.

"That's the convenience of being over here. It's a long way away but what do you do? I've been here 12 months, Ben has been here two years."

So the prospect of an Australian debut feels like a long time coming - and it's even longer than you'd think.

"They've had the World Cup squad announced since 2019 I think, the only thing is COVID knocked the World Cup on the head. They postponed it until February 2023," Staines said.

If there was ever any doubt, Staines put it to bed with a starring role in a trans-Tasman series in New Zealand last week, helping Australia to seven wins and one draw over eight games.

"That's what they selected the World Cup team out of," Staines said.

"Ben, for instance, couldn't make the trial, whereas I did. Ben's selection came out of prior knowledge of how he's played in previous tournaments.

"Most teams we've played in, we've played in together. It's good, just because we've always been in the same teams.

"You can bounce off each other a little bit. People say we play pretty good together and I'd agree with it."

Staines says the Australian squad will fly to Austria in late-January for trial games before heading to Germany for more of the same ahead of the tournament opener in Pretoria.

Australia have drafted host nation South Africa in their opening game, with matches against Argentina, Iran, Czech Republic and the United States to follow within the opening five days.

That's before they even get to the playoffs, with Australia looking to build on a fourth-place finish at the Berlin edition of the World Cup five years ago.

"It will be memorable to experience a World Cup with Jake. I've played every game and trained with him for the past 20 years. It has always been the goal and it is what we both love to do," Ben Staines said.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: