Aussie Stingers coach Greg McFadden has announced a 19-member national senior women’s squad to begin preparing for the 2012 international season that will culminate in the London Olympic Games.
 
The players chosen will take part in two intense fortnight long training camps at the Australian Institute of Sport beginning on October 3 and October 31 before heading to Montreal in December for a training camp with the Canadian national team and the Canada Cup.
 
The squad will then host the Canadians in Melbourne in January prior to competing in the Pan Pacs, followed by another training camp, this time in Sydney with the USA.
 
The squad features five members of Australia’s bronze medal winning team from this month’s FINA World Junior Championships in Italy. Those five players – Zoe Arancini, Ash Southern, Kelsey Wakefield, Isobel Bishop and Hannah Buckling - will undergo a decreased training load at the first camp as they recover from an arduous month long world championships campaign.
 
Beijing Olympian Bronwen Knox will also participate in the first camp under a managed workload after recently being diagnosed with glandular fever.
 
Coach McFadden said his squad consisted of the 13 players that represented Australia at this year’s FINA World Championships, the five juniors and World University Games team captain Lea Barta.
 
One of the junior players selected, Sydney University’s Hannah Buckling, will get her first experience with the senior team, something McFadden said she deserved after a stellar performance at the world championships.
 
“Hannah won rave reviews both from our coaches and the coaches of the other international teams for her performances at centre back in the world junior championships,” McFadden said.
 
“One statistic that stood out is that Hannah didn’t have one goal scored off her by a centre forward all tour.”
 
The 19 players selected now have the inside running for Olympic selection.
 
Australian national senior women’s squad
 
Goalkeepers: Lea Barta (NSWIS, 90), Victoria Brown (VIS,85), Alicia McCormack (NSWIS, 83), Kelsey Wakefield (QAS, 92),
 
Field Players: Zoe Arancini (WAIS, 91), Gemma Beadsworth (WAIS, 87), Isobel Bishop (SASI, 91), Hannah Buckling (NSWIS, 92),
Kate Gynther (QAS, 82), Bronwen Knox (QAS, 85), Holly Lincoln Smith (NSWIS,88), Jane Moran (QAS, 85), Glencora Ralph (WAIS, 88), Melissa Rippon (QAS, 80), Rebecca Rippon (NSWIS, 78), Sophie Smith (QAS, 85), Ashleigh Southern (QAS, 92), Rowena Webster (VIC, 87), Nicola Zagame (NSWIS, 90)

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