Banned Aussie Olympian survives Kookaburras hockey cull after being arrested on suspicion of buying cocaine in Paris
- Tom Craig was suspended for 12 months by Hockey Australia earlier this summer
- He had been arrested but released without charge during the Paris Games
Tom Craig has retained his place in the 2025 Kookaburras squad following his arrest and suspension in Paris, but there is no room for two of his experienced Olympic teammates.
New Australian men’s coach Mark Hager has announced a 17-man squad for 2025, as well as a wider Kookaburras squad of 21 who will train within the high-performance programme.
While three players from the Paris line-up announced their retirement, there was no room in Eddie Ockenden, Aran Zalewski and Andrew Charter for three-time Olympian Jake Whetton, 33, or dual Games representative Tom Wickham, 34.
There is only one player over 30 under 17, with former Australian captain Hager, who replaced coach Colin Batch, making a generational change.
“It’s exciting, it’s a new beginning for this group and we’ve picked 17 players who we feel very comfortable with based on how they performed recently in 2024,” Hager said in a statement.
‘The next four years until the LA 2028 Olympic Games, and also beyond that until Brisbane in 2032, were a big factor in our decision to appoint an initial squad and a wider squad covering a range of experience and ages so that we can take them with them. the journey.’
Tom Craig has retained his place in the 2025 Kookaburras squad following his arrest and suspension in Paris
Craig was banned for 12 months by Australia Hockey after attempting to buy cocaine in Paris
Canberra defender Anand Gupte has earned a full-time call-up to Kookaburras almost two years after playing his first Test.
Three players will make their debuts in HC Melbourne duo Cooper Burns and Liam Henderson and Adelaide Fire’s Jed Snowden, who will fill the shoes of Charter, Australia’s most highly rated goalkeeper.
Players from the wider group will get some playing time in the FIH Pro League in Sydney and Argentina.
Hager also wants to add another seven players to his top selection.
After a disappointing campaign in Paris, where they suffered a quarter-final exit, Craig was handed a 12-month ban for attempting to buy cocaine, suspended for six months.
The 29-year-old will not be available until early March, ruling him out of February’s Kookaburras’ Tests against Spain and the Netherlands.
“Tom has learned a lot of lessons over the last six months, he has a lot of regrets and I believe he has grown as a person,” Hager said.
‘Tom is a very talented hockey player and I know he is now working on the other side to be a top athlete, which is really crucial.
New Australian men’s coach Mark Hager has announced a 17-man squad for 2025, as well as a wider Kookaburras squad of 21
“We can learn from his experiences and I am sure he will bring the lessons he has learned back to the group.”
The team will travel to Argentina at the end of February before touring Europe in June.
They will then begin their preparations for the 2026 World Cup qualifier at the Oceania Cup in Darwin in September.
Kookaburras: Josh Beltz, Hayden Beltz, Tim Brand, Cooper Burns, Tom Craig, Nathan Ephraums, Blake Govers, Anand Gupte, Jake Harvie, Liam Henderson, Jeremy Hayward, Tim Howard, Craig Marais, Lachlan Sharp, Jed Snowden (GK), Corey Weyer, Ky Willott.