Tokyo Olympic silver medallist, Lachlan Sharp, attempted to stifle his laugh when he recalled how his mother’s prized ceramic fish that hung on the wall of the family’s loungeroom were destroyed as he found his feet as a young hockey player.

“I was always in the backyard playing the game with Mum, Dad, and my siblings,” said Sharp, “I just loved it.

“I even had a mini hockey stick and along with my brother and sister we used a little stress ball to whack goals inside the house. Mum had these ceramic fish hanging on the wall and [because of badly timed hits] their fins kept coming off and were eventually smashed into little pieces.

“The fish were crisscrossed with cracks from where Mum glued them back together. Unfortunately, they didn’t last too long . . .”

Sharp, who grew up in the coal mining town of Lithgow, described hockey as a ‘family affair’. His  father was recognised as an outstanding coach, his mother represented NSW, and his brother and sister both played for the state.

“My family really shaped the person I am,” said Sharp, a New South Wales Institute of Sport scholarship holder. “Being the youngest of three kids and looking up to my brother and sister helped a lot [in my playing hockey]. I was four when I started, and I loved it.

“I feel like myself when I’m out on the field. I enjoy going to training with my mates every day. I enjoy striving to be better every day.

“To be able to strive to go to the Olympics and strive to win the Olympic gold medal – which is something that has only happened once for the Kookaburras – would be special and we have a group that is capable of doing that after our silver medal in Tokyo.”

Sharp described playing for NSW Pride -the Hockey One League’s defending premiers – as something he embraces.

“As cliched as it sounds, it’s just great to be a part of the team,” he said. “It’s so fluid, it’s so fun, it’s exciting hockey. It’s also a matter of us all wanting to do it for each other . . . we want to be the hardest working team and it’s been really cool to have a couple of big wins early on.”

While the ongoing results of NSW Pride reflects the quality of players in the team, Sharp said it was important for each player to perform.

“You need 11 players to win, and everyone is doing their role,” he said. “It’s also great having Brett Livermore as our coach. He’s a really great coach, a great leader and manager of people. His expertise, tactics are extremely good, and his record says it all.”

Sharp said despite his team’s hot form, they realised the season will be an ongoing battle.

“”We’ve spoken about complacency. I don’t think complacency is an issue for us, but we’ll need to hit the ground running and make sure we get on top early.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS

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