The tournament, held from March 13 to 23, features Australia, Canada, China, South Africa, South Korea and Malaysia.
City Times sports journalist Logan Green posed a few questions to the former Benoni Northerns junior hockey player.
LG: How was the recent tour to Argentina and what did you and the team learn down there?
JE: Argentina is an amazing place with a great culture. We stayed in Mar Del Plata, a very beautiful beach holiday town with lots of history. Our trip was just over 10 days long, in which we had five international test matches against Argentina (ranked 10th in the world and who also qualified for the 2014 World Cup), as well as eight training sessions. We took down a very inexperienced side with three “Lads” making their debuts. The majority of the side had 20 caps at the most. Playing under a new coach on top of that also made it a very challenging tour.
LG: Fabian Gregory recently took over as the new coach of “The Lads”. What have you learnt from him so far?
JE: I have learnt to express my abilities without the coach putting pressure on me. Fabian has given the lads the freedom to express themselves while trying new skills, without the worry of making mistakes. He pushed us hard every day and taught us that if you do well, you will get a good chance in the team. If you make a mistake he won’t just take you off the field straight away. He wants to see how you cope after making the mistakes. Later on, in team meetings, we will identify the mistakes and discuss them in an open forum, which makes the learning process a group task and not just an individual task.
LG: The team took on Germany in Cape Town after the Argentina series. How did that go?
JE: This series was tough for me because I got concussed in the final play of the Argentina series. The doctors monitored me for the whole week, but didn’t allow me to train and play in any of the matches. This series included players from the Argentina series and some experienced faces returned to boost the team. They had their chance to impress the new coach and to show off their talents off to the Cape Town support against a side that is ranked number two in the world, as well as Olympic and World Cup champions. Our focus in the series was to build the new plans and structures implemented in Argentina and to try to push the Germans as hard as we could.
LG: What can “The Lads” expect at the 23rd Azlan Shah Cup and what are the plans going forward from there?
JE: There is no doubt that Australia is the favourite to win, but with what we have learnt from the past two tours we should be aiming for a spot in the final. The cup competition will be the key to see where we stand at the moment. From there on we will have a final selection camp in April, for the World Cup squad. We then hope to have a pre-World Cup camp in Holland, in May.
LG: How have your performances been in the South African jersey of late?
JE: I think I did really well in Argentina. I have been getting a better chance to play my preferred position at the back. The coach’s backing and confidence in me has brought my game to a level as good as it has been. I am really disappointed that I didn’t get a run out in the Germany series, so I am definitely going to give it my all in the Azlan Shah Cup and, hopefully, I will give myself the best possible chance to book my ticket to the World Cup, in May.
