Illawarra’s Kookaburra Tristan White has withdrawn from the Australian senior men’s hockey squad and will miss this year’s World Cup in India in November.
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White made this decision last week in the wake of the arrival of his baby girl and his family and financial duties.
“It was a very tough decision but ultimately I’m happy that I’ve made the right one,” White said.
“I want to enjoy the time with baby Lexi and Lauren and cannot commit to the rigours required for the Australian team.”
He was speaking on Sunday evening after his local club University suffered a heavy 9-4 loss to Illawarra premiers Albion Park.
“Perhaps down the track the door may open again if I’m still able to mix it with the best guys in Australia and the world,” he said.
White will continue to play here and for his Sydney club Moorebank and the NSW Waratahs in the national league in October. He is hoping to be considered for future tournaments as he has not officially retired from the Kookaburras.
White has been based in Wollongong for a number of years due to work commitments and has been travelling to Perth for tournament training. He has 102 Australian caps to his name and made his debut for the national team in 2011 in Busselton against India.
The following year he won a gold medal with the Kookaburras in the Champions Trophy beating the Netherlands in the final in Melbourne.
Another Champions golden win came at the 2016 tournament in London just prior to the Olympics.
White’s biggest disappointment was withdrawing from the Rio Olympic Games team after an ACL injury cut short his Olympic debut just before the games.
“Rio is the standout disappointment without a doubt. I was in the best form of my life and it’s a dream I’d had since I was very young. All in all though, the positives outweigh the disappointments and I’m extremely happy to have played in what is arguably Australia’s most successful sporting team, during its most successful era,” he said.
White also won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 but was disappointed again being left out of the team at this year’s games at the Gold Coast.
Kookaburras coach Colin Batch fully understood White’s decision to step away from the team but would assess his performance and consider him for future tournaments should his situation change.
White originally came from Wagga Wagga playing Aussie Rules but transitioned to hockey moving to Coffs Harbour and eventually settling in the Illawarra.
