Canberra Chill officials are set to turn their focus towards locking in a high-profile men's recruit after securing three Irish internationals to join the women's team.
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The franchise announced the signing of Ireland captain Katie Mullan, goal-scoring defender Roisin Upton and attacker Sarah Hawkshaw for the upcoming Hockey One season.
The trio join former Hockeyroos Edwina Bone and Anna Flanagan in the squad for the competition set to start in October.
Chill coach Matt Cook said the players will add vital experience to the side as they look to build on a challenging 2022 campaign.
"We are very excited to welcome Katie, Roisin and Sarah to Canberra," Cook said. "All three athletes bring plenty of quality and unique attributes to our group. With almost 400 International caps between the girls, I feel their experience will benefit our squad on and off the pitch.
"All of the girls are very versatile and play in different lines so I am confident they will fit in seamlessly into our squad. We expect the girls to be in great condition following their European championships in late August and we look forward to welcoming them to the Chill family in September."
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The Chill will commence its season in Perth on Saturday, October 7, with the campaign to end on Friday, November 17 against Melbourne. Every match will be broadcast on 7plus as part of a new deal with Channel 7.
The timing of the competition coincides with a number of Paris Olympics qualifying tournaments, making it difficult to recruit international players.
Despite this, the club is in talks with a number of overseas stars to join the men's team as they look to build on last year's semi-final berth.
Hockey ACT chief executive Rob Sheekey said they are sifting through a long list of potential recruits as they seek a player who can lift the Chill to a maiden title.
"The men's team is in a position where the players we bring out have to help us win the title," Sheekey said. "We're looking at the shortfalls in our group and finding people to fill in those areas to help us win the final."
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Cameron Mee
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
