A pumped Lily Erskine feels well prepared for her debut in blue at the 2020 Australian Indoor Hockey Festival.
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Erskine will be part of the NSW Lions under 13s side in Wollongong from this weekend and is the latest in a string of Dubbo players to feature at the carnival.
This marks the first time Erskine has played for a state side and she wants to prove she's not only up to the required standard, but showcase the quality of athletes from regional areas.
"Yeah, I'm pretty excited. I'm really feeling ready," the youngster said.
"I'm looking forward to showing everyone what a little country girl can do in this competition."
Erskine is the youngest of the Dubbo players to compete in the 2020 competition and will be playing as a forward with the number 15 on her back next week.
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Splitting her time between training locally with other members of the Dubbo Hockey Association and playing in Orange, Erskine goes into the national championships with plenty of confidence.
She showed her quality at the recent under 13s state titles, helping her side claim a silver medal at that carnival in Orange late last year.
That experience was also one where Erskine was called up to play in a more intimidating competition, without much prior awareness of her teammates.
But they are now well-known and will make up a sizable portion of the NSW hockey talent which has featured at the Wollongong carnival.
Playing alongside players of that ilk is a challenge Erskine believes she's ready to take on.
"There are a lot of talented players coming through the region right now, I feel really ready to get involved and represent our area," Erskine said.
Erskine will be one of the last Dubbo Hockey Association representatives called up to star while wearing NSW Blue at the indoor hockey championships.
There has been plenty of success recorded already, with the highlight undoubtedly being the efforts of Emma Corcoran.
Corcoran co-captained the NSW under 21s side to national glory alongside Orange's Chloe Barrett.
While the youngster is one of the least experienced in terms of age and time spent in competitions at the highest level, she also has a bit more indoor hockey experience than some of her contemporaries and is eager to follow in their footsteps.
"It's good to see what the other girls before me coming from Dubbo have done and get to follow in their path a little bit," Erskine said.
The Lions, one of two NSW squads headed to the national competition, will meet Victoria in the opening round on January 18.