They say that in sport one minute you can be up, on top of the World, and then the next you are down.
One man finding out how that is the case is World Champion winning Kookaburra Tim Deavin. Just over a month ago he was a late replacement called up to replace the unfortunate Glenn Simpson for the Kookaburras at the World Cup in the Hague. An event Australia went on to win in convincing style.
Last week on returning home to Tasmania from the Australian Institute of Sport base in Perth, Western Australia, Deavin wanted to give back to Tasmanian Hockey and the club he played for before accepting an AIS scholarship, but all thoughts of that were soon crushed.
Deavin has been banned by hockey administrators from playing for his local club Tamar Churinga in the Greater Northern League competition. The team currently sits on the bottom of the GNL ladder.
Hockey Tasmania chief executive Andrew Winch was reported to have said that he did not the support the decision but was unable to overrule it.
A bizarre way of welcoming home a local boy who has climbed to the summit of his sport and who is happy to do his bit to raise the profile of the sport. Deavin was happy to give up his time for no fee to support the sport during his trip home and even travelled to Hobart to speak with and encourage junior players taking part in the School Sports Australia under-12 championships.
Sadly he is not alone other Kookaburras finally returning home to their state’s of origin are finding that they too cannot play for their original club sides.
Whereas it is easy to understand that competition rules require require players to have played a set number of games during the season to be eligible to play in finals deciders and the finals themselves, these players have only not been available because they have been with the National team. They have not been flown in purely for the finals, they are returning players. None have played for other sides in that competition.
It is an extremely short sighted view being taken by the various Associations. They need to open their eyes and see the bigger picture. Surely the top players in the competition have aspirations to play for the Kookaburras in which case they will want to test themselves against the best. Also there is nothing better for a younger player to see a player who took the same path as he is on and made it to the top, and to see them in your clubs colours is the icing on the cake, this is where inspiration comes from.
With the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos playing a great many of their games overseas or in Western Australia hockey needs to embrace these players coming home and not shun them, as the children who love the sport get so few chances to see their heroes in action. It is this interaction that inspires the next generation of players.
It is a shame that a sport that is desperate for media coverage now finds itself receiving negative press because of the shortsighted views of a minority.
