The Junior Black Sticks are back and have a healthy representation from the South.
Hockey New Zealand yesterday confirmed the first national under-21 squads in three years.
The 18 players in each will head to Canberra in December to play Australia in a three-game series.
The last time the Junior Black Sticks men played was against Australia in October 2019 at the Sultan of Johor Cup, while the women last played in December 2019 in a tri-series against Australia and India.
Nine Otago players were part of the initial 128-strong camp, and five of them have made the final cut.
Benji Culhane, James Nicolson, Patrick Ward and Daniel Torr have made the men’s squad, and Ezekiel Buschl is a non-travelling reserve.
Annabelle Schneideman is the sole Otago representative in the women’s squad.
The players will be extra motivated to perform given the Junior Black Sticks have world championships in Malaysia (men) and Chile (women) next year.
