The Australian task of winning gold at the BDO FIH World Cup and Commonwealth Games later in the year has become even more of a challenge, with veteran Hope Munro announcing she is taking a break from international hockey for the foreseeable future.
Munro, who debuted for Australia in 2004 and played 109 games and scored 33 goals for the Hockeyroos, made her decision in order to spend more time with her young daughters, Ella (7 years of age) and Olivia (4 years of age).
While admitting it was difficult to give up the opportunity to play for the Hockeyroos at the BDO FIH World Cup and Commonwealth Games later in the year, Munro said she was looking forward to spending more time with her family.
ÔÇ£It was an extremely difficult decision to make, but I know in my heart this is the right path for me at this point in time. I have been very fortunate in my hockey career to have the love and support of my family and close friends. In particular, my then husband Chris Munro, for without his unwavering support none of my international career would have been possible. I look back on my career with many fond memories of fun times, hard times, and sad times, but most of all I am lucky to be able to leave the program with some of the closest and dearest friendships.
ÔÇ£I am so grateful for having had the opportunity to be a part of the Hockeyroos program for the last ten years. It has been a great honor to represent Australia and fulfill a lifelong dream. In the end, the international travel was taking its toll and I found it increasingly difficult to be away from my children for weeks on end. I told the team I was ready to be a ÔÇ£normal mumÔÇØ and spend as much time as I can with my family. That is what my decision is based on,ÔÇØ said Munro.
After debuting in 2004, Munro did not compete at the 2004 Athens Olympics due to having her first child. After having her second child she returned to the squad in 2006 and was an important member of the Hockeyroos 2006 World Cup squad which finished second. She also participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was one of the Hockeyroos best players at the Games. Since then she has been a crucial member of the Hockeyroos team and in 2009 was named Hockeyroos player of the year.
Hockeyroos coach Frank Murray thanked Munro for her contribution to the team and says her skill and experience will be sorely missed from the team as they prepare for the BDO FIH World Cup and Commonwealth Games.
ÔÇ£At the end of it all she has worked very hard to date to balance everything in her life and we are losing a very good hockey player. It is disappointing that we won't have her available but that means that others will need to step up.
She has made an extremely valuable contribution and I certainly appreciate what she has done while playing for the Hockeyroos,ÔÇØ said Murray
Despite having a young squad, Munro says that she is confident the Hockeyroos can succeed at both the BDO FIH World Cup and Commonwealth Games.
ÔÇ£The group is an extremely talented and well balanced unit. They are a young team, but they play with maturity and skill beyond their years. We have some amazing players coming up through the ranks and the program is extremely fortunate to be lead by Nic Arrold and Madonna Blyth, who are unquestionably two of the best players in world hockey. I think the future is so bright for this team and the kids and I will definitely be cheering them on from home as they face the challenges of the next few months,ÔÇØ said Munro.
Source: Hockey Australia
