Hockey: Dardanup product Jake Harvie set for Olympic Games debut after being named in Kookaburras squad

Dardanup product Jake Harvie will break through for his long-awaited Olympic debut at the 2024 Games in Paris after making the cut for the Kookaburras squad. The Boyanup Hockey Club junior, who has been capped 139 times by the national side since debuting in 2017, missed out on selection for the 2020 Games as part of a period spent out of the side, but has bounced back to again become a key component of the team in recent years. He is one of two players from the South West to feature in the 16-player squad, with Margaret River product Aran Zalewski to captain the team at his third Olympics. Speaking as part of the squad’s public announcement at Aquinas College on Monday, Harvie said he had always dreamt of being on the world’s biggest and brightest sporting stage. “I’m very, very grateful to be part of this team and just so, so excited,” he said. “The one thing for me that’s always been at the forefront of my mind is the Olympics. “(I’ll) prepare as well as I can to make the most of such an amazing event.” The 26-year-old will continue a family legacy at the Games, with his grandfather Gordon Pearce — one of five siblings in a famous hockey family who represented the country — playing at the 1956, 1960 and 1968 Olympics, being part of a silver medal-winning side in his third outing. Harvie said he had been “very fortunate” to have an amazing role model so close to him throughout his career. “I think the memories of that for him is that it’s such a special opportunity and it’s different to any other sporting event and I think that’s something that I’ve always held really close,” he said. “He had to pay part of his way to get to the Olympics. To get to be part of the Olympic Australian team we have now and all the amazing funding and opportunity we have, it’s so different. “The majority of his games in his career were Olympic matches because they just didn’t get to tour and play as much, it wasn’t as successful back then. “What I’ve taken from him is even with those opportunities being limited, he just worked so hard to make himself available and have the opportunity to go to those games. That’s something I really try to emulate, just work as hard as I possibly can to not only get the opportunity to go to an Olympic games, but be successful. “I told him, maybe it was a bit immature at the time at 10 years old, that a silver medal wasn’t that impressive, so I’ve got a little bit to make up for there. Hopefully we can go all the way.” The Kookaburras will come into the Games in good form after emerging as the winners of the 2023-24 FIH Pro League season last month. Having not won gold since 2004, the team will be looking to avenge a heart-breaking penalty shootout loss to Belgium in 2020’s gold medal match.