Mark Hager leads Kookaburras into a new era with competitive 2025 Squad

Burras and HC Melbourne striking sensation Cooper Burns is set to make his Kookaburra debut in 2025.

Kookaburras head coach Mark Hager is leading the men’s national team into an exciting new era, naming an initial 17-strong Kookaburras 2025 squad that boasts experience and impressive young talent.

With an eye firmly on the LA 2028 Olympic Games, a wider Kookaburras squad of 21 has also been named with an opportunity for some of the players to represent the Kookaburras at the FIH Pro League in Sydney and Argentina before the final seven spots in a 24-strong squad are decided.

“It’s exciting, it’s a new beginning for this group and we’ve picked 17 players that we feel very comfortable with, having seen how they’ve performed recently in 2024,” Mark said. 

“The next four years to the LA 2028 Olympic Games, and also further to Brisbane in 2032, was a big factor in our decision to name an initial squad and a wider squad with a range of experience and ages so we can bring them along in the journey.

“The wider squad have a really good opportunity to be in the environment and have some quality competition before we make the final decision on the last seven places.”

An outstanding Liberty Hockey One League season has seen Canberra defender Anand Gupte earn a full-time call up to the Kookaburras, almost two years on from when he played eight Tests for the national side in 2023. 

Three players in the 17 will make their debut. Including HC Melbourne duo Cooper Burns and Liam Henderson, who were integral in Melbourne’s history-making Liberty Hockey One League season win just two weeks ago.

Filling the shoes of Australia’s most-capped goalkeeper ever, Andrew Charter, who recently retired from the top level, is Adelaide Fire goalie Jed Snowden. Jed’s inaugural squad call up follows two standout years at the development level.

“Jed’s played incredibly well in the Liberty Hockey One League for the Adelaide Fire over the last two years, and he’s a fantastic ambassador for the sport.

“We have a great quality of goalkeepers in the wider squad and it’s important to us to develop depth in that position and create a really good competition within the group as well.”

Lane Cove striker Tom Craig has been named in the 2025 squad, but he won’t be available for team selection until he serves the remainder of his suspension, imposed by Hockey Australia’s Integrity Unit following his arrest in Paris.

“Tom’s learned a lot of lessons over the last six months, he’s very remorseful and I believe he’s grown as a person,” Mark said.

“Tom’s a very talented hockey player, and I know he’s now working on the other side of being a high performance athlete, which is really crucial. We can learn from his experiences and I know he’ll bring the lessons he’s learned back to the group.”

The Kookaburras first test will be at the 2025 FIH Pro League campaign in Sydney in just seven weeks, when they face Spain and the highly-anticipated rematch of the fiery Paris Olympic Games quarterfinal against the Netherlands, from 5 – 9 February.

The squad will travel to Argentina in late February before touring Europe in June as they prepare for the 2026 World Cup Qualifier at the Oceania Cup when international hockey returns to Darwin in September.

All Kookaburras and Hockeyroos matches will be streamed live and free on 7plus.

Check out the 2025 Kookaburras Schedule here

*2024 Kookaburras Johan Durst and Flynn Ogilvie are taking a sabbatical from the High Performance program and were not available for selection.
* 2024 Kookaburras Eddie Ockenden, Aran Zalewski, Andrew Charter and Matt Dawson announced their retirement from international hockey following the Paris Olympic Games.