Underwater hockey star Sienna Thomason says she is thrilled to be the first Cooktown player selected to don the green and gold in the Elite division of the sport. Photo: Supplied.
After making the under-19 and U24 world championships with her team last year, a Cooktown underwater hockey player is shooting for the highest level in the sport after being selected to represent Australia at the 2025 Elite and Masters Underwater Hockey World Qualifying Championships next month.
The Cooktown Crocs’ Sienna Thomason will travel to Malaysia from 3-9 August as the town’s first representative in the Elite division, the highest level of competition in the unique sport.
“It feels pretty amazing to make it to this level, and be the first one in Cooktown to do it,” she said.
“Elite is kind of the pinnacle of competing in underwater hockey.”
In the lead-up to her first competition at the Elite level on an international scale, Thomason said the thought of being the only Cooktown player bound for Kuala Lumpur after attending the world championships with three other Crocs in 2024 was a little daunting, but added she trusted her 2025 team completely.
“I’ve only played in Elite at nationals, and I was lucky enough to be the VC (vice-captain) of the Elite team, so this is a step up from that,” she said.
“Last year, I had all my Cooktown Crocs Underwater Hockey family with me, so it’s a bit different, but it’s in Malaysia again, so it’s a little less daunting, because I know what the pool is like, and I know what to expect this time.
“I’m the youngest one on my team, and the other ladies have so much more experience than me; some of the others have been through like five world championships together.”
With the players spread out across the country before coming together in Malaysia, Thomason said she had already been to training camps in Tasmania and the Gold Coast to get a feel for her new teammates.
“Just playing with people that are that experienced, I think you soak in that energy, and I think I’ll learn so much,” she said.
“It’s a little bit of pressure, because the Australian team is actually the reigning world champions, so it’s big boots to fill.”
