Wairarapa hockey loses star

Dalefield star Jesse Workman will be playing his hockey in Melbourne this winter.

The New Zealand Maori and Wellington national league representative and current Wairarapa Senior Sports Personality of the Year has resigned from his job as regional development officer for Hockey Wairarapa to take up a short-term contract with Melbourne-based club Southern United, one of the premier sides in Victoria.

The contract is just for the 2012 season and apart from his playing duties Workman will be coaching at secondary-school level.

"The offer was simply too good to turn down," Workman said, adding that he and his family would be in Melbourne by February 19.

Fortunately for Wairarapa hockey, Workman sees himself returning to the region in the not-too-distant future and says he may be keen to continue in a role similar to the one he is leaving.

That will be heartening for the local hockey fraternity who have benefited from his expertise as a player and coach.

This season, several Wairarapa youngsters who had come under his guidance have been included in national age-group sides, and Workman is confident those numbers will increase.

"The talent base here is very strong ... and we're lucky to have an administration which is keen to ensure we keep it that way," he said, adding that the excellent facilities at Clareville were also a boon for the sport.

There is one concern for Workman, though, and that is that Dalefield may not be able to field a side in the Wellington premier men's club competition this year. A public meeting will be held at the Clareville complex tonight to discuss a situation which sees the Dalefield team with no coach and a possible shortage of players.

Workman says the withdrawal of Dalefield from the Wellington competition would be "devastating" for Wairarapa hockey, as their presence there gave the province's top players something positive to aim for.

"If we pull out it will very probably be the end of playing at that level for at least two or three seasons. It would be a huge blow," he said.