She, along with several other athletes, was set to represent Australia in the Hockey Master's World Cup in South Africa, a lifelong dream.

While the competition was at first postponed and now more recently cancelled, she hasn't wasted any time at all before throwing herself back into the sport that she loves.

READ ALSO:

- Records tumble as region's swimming talents prepare to storm Sydney

- Rain can't dampen spirits at bumper regional carnival at Barden Park

- 'Quality players are going to miss out' as battle begins for Rams places

Hardie-Jones has recently taken over the presidency of the Dubbo Hockey Association and is eager to share her passion for the sport with as many others as she can find.

"We're hoping this year to put a lot of forward momentum into it, I stood up for the role, mostly because I wanted to start putting something back into it," Hardie-Jones said.

"It was very, very hard last year, obviously the World Cup has been cancelled now, which is a real shame, but we're now looking to put our energy into the association and keep building our numbers."

To that end, and with the backing of NSW Hockey, the association will be hosting a competition that will allow for free entry, registration and insurance for players, in an effort to help others find the same passion for the sport that Hardie-Jones carries.

"We really want to bring a big, diverse audience in, we want to get a lot of those people who've just come to Dubbo and people who might be new to town, it'd be great to get them involved," Hardie-Jones said.

"It's a completely free, six week competition, it all begins on February 19, and all people really have to do to get involved is to register their interest."

Prospective players can get involved by e-mailing the association at hockey@dubbohockey.com.au.

While the association has birthed some of the region's best and most experienced players, there's no limits on who can sign up.

"Anybody who's interested, all ages, any skill level, they're all welcome and it's completely free, NSW Hockey will be covering the costs and the insurance for players," Hardie-Jones said.

"We want to give people an idea of what's available and what hockey is like, what it can offer, they can use this six week period to see if they like it before they take the step of buying equipment and getting involved in the regular competitions."

While the rest of the usual competitions will return this year, conditions permitting, Hardie-Jones and the association are focused on including new and prospective players for now.

"I think it's always really important to play a team sport, with hockey you get everything, you get to enjoy that social side of it and build those friendships, but it's also a very competitive game, or at least it can be, it mixes very well," Hardie-Jones said.

Sharing the sport with others is something of a passion for Hardie-Jones, who has made countless friendships across the globe thanks to her Hockey career and the many international stages she's played on.

"It can really bring any group together and it's great for fitness, it keeps people active for a very long time, one of our oldest players is turning 80 this year, which just shows you how it can keep you fit through the years," Hardie-Jones said.

"Even people who are interested in picking up a second sport, if they play netball, touch football, anything like that, they should give it a go and get involved."

The six week competition will begin next weekend, with the regular competitions set to resume later in the year. .