2011 Blades 'Players to watch'

OAMPS Queensland Blades' supercoach Matt Wells has named his four 'players to watch' in the 2011 AHL. Below are brief profiles of the players:

Matthew Swann (pictured right)
Since debuting for the Kookaburras in a Malaysian test series in late 2009, 21-year-old Swann has continued to affirm national selectors’ confidence in his ability through strong performances at major tournaments including last year’s World Cup, Commonwealth Games and Champions Trophy. In seeking the ultimate reward of Olympic success with the Kookaburras, Swann will be eager to continue his outstanding form in the AHL.

Robert Hammond
Hammond may have played over 200 games for Australia, but he still has much unfinished business and is eager to relive the glory of gold medal success enjoyed at the 2004 Athens Olympics. With nine Kookaburras in the Blades’ line-up, Hammond will seize the opportunity in the AHL to further strengthen the already mature playing combinations of this group.

Mark Knowles
In his tenth consecutive season playing for the OAMPS Queensland Blades, Kookaburras co-captain Mark Knowles will be out to do all he can to secure his state back-to-back AHL titles with another victory in 2011. Knowles will also be seeking to continue his top form and remain injury-free ahead of upcoming major tournaments such as the 2011 Oceania Cup Olympic Qualifier, 2011 Champions Trophy and 2012 London Olympics.

Jacob Whetton
19-year-old Whetton debuted for the Kookaburras at the 2011 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, where Australia were victorious for the first time since 2007. With youth certainly on his side, Whetton will be looking to capitalise on the opportunity to further impress national selectors during the AHL, through displaying the talent which has seen him accumulate accolades including being named Brisbane’s Best and Fairest male player of 2010.