ACT MEN CAPTAIN AUSTRALIAN SIDES ON THE SAME NIGHT

Overnight two ACT men captained their country in two different forms of hockey.

Anand Gupte captained the Kookaburras against the Netherlands in the Sydney Pro League for the first time, while Jake Staines captained the Australian Men's Indoor team at the Indoor World Cup in Porec, Croatia.

Anand lined up for his 10th cap for the Kookaburras and proudly wore the captains band around his leg. A quarter final rematch from last years Olympics against the Netherlands and what a show it was. The men put on a stellar performace, taking the netherlands down 4-2. Not only did Anand wear the captains band, he got to play along side another ACT talent, Davis Atkin, who scored his first international for the Kookaburras in the same match. Both debuted together back in 2023 in India and have continued their journey together in the 2025 Pro League.

On the other side of the world, Jake Staines has also been wearing the captains band for his country at the 2025 Indoor World Cup where they have been taking on ther worlds best sides. The men have just finished their pool games with Jake captaining 2 out of the 3 games. With a 7-2 win over Trinidad & Tobago and a 5-5 draw against Namibia. Jake is one of 7 ACT athletes donning the Australian jersey at the Indoor World Cup along side brother Ben Staines, Garry Backhus, Matt Hotchkis, Aiden Dooley, Brendan Hill and Connor Tuddenham.

An incredible achievement for both Anand, Jake and the ACT!