Australian Rollers Ready For Tokyo 2020 Paralympic AOZ Qualifying Tournament
The Australian Rollers have selected their team for the 2019 Asia-Oceania Championships to be held in Pattaya, Thailand from the 27 November to December 8, 2019.
The IWBF Asia-Oceania championships will form the qualification tournament for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, with three positions available after the automatic entry of host nation Japan.
The Rollers will be heading into the tournament having claimed bronze at the 2018 World Championships in Germany last year, defeating Iran by 11 points.
The men’s team is a very experienced group with the likes of Captain Shaun Norris, Bill Latham, Brett Stibners and Jannik Blair.
There are new faces in the Rollers side, with Jay Dohnt (Adelaide Thunder) and Clarence McCarthy-Grogan (Sydney Metro Blue Hornets) bringing a much needed energy and spark to complement the squad.
Australia has a proud legacy at the Asia-Oceania Championships having never lost the tournament in its history.
Head Coach Craig Friday said he is looking forward to seeing the Rollers maintain their record at this event.
“The competition inside our own zone is better than it has ever been and the challenge to defend our title has never been greater.
“Iran, Japan, Korea, Thailand and China all pose a different type of threat with different playing styles across each team.
“We have made a few changes to the side since our previous tournament as we continue to look for our best line-up that gives us flexibility in combinations and the ability to play different tempos.
“The addition of another mid-point player will allow us to trial another two combinations in Thailand to see if they can stand up against quality international teams.
“Our focus is to win but we are well aware of the big picture too.”
The biggest challenge comes this year with the impressive rise of Iran and the speed and agility of Japan.
The Rollers will kickstart their AOZ campaign against Korea on November 30.
All games will be livestreamed via IWBF YouTube channel.
The Australian Rollers team for the 2019 AOZ Championships:
| PLAYER | NWBL Club | Classification |
| Michael Auprince | Perth Wheelcats | 4.0 |
| Jannik Blair | Red Dust Heelers | 1.0 |
| Jay Dohnt | West Adelaide Thunder | 2.0 |
| Bill Latham | Queensland Spinning Bullets | 4.0 |
| Matthew McShane | Queensland Spinning Bullets | 1.5 |
| Clarence McCarthy-Grogan | Sydney Metro Blue Hornets | 4.0 |
| Shaun Norris (captain) | Perth Wheelcats | 3.0 |
| Tom O’Neill-Thorne | Queensland Spinning Bullets | 3.0 |
| Luke Pople | Wollongong Rollerhawks | 2.5 |
| Kim Robins | Perth Wheelcats | 3.0 |
| Brett Stibners | Wollongong Rollerhawks | 4.0 |
| Samuel White | West Adelaide Thunder | 1.0 |
| STAFF | ROLE |
| Craig Friday | Head Coach |
| Brad Ness | Assistant Coach |
| Shane Furness | Technical / Specialist Coach |
| Ryan Campbell | Physiotherapist |
| Priyanka Karunakaran | Team Manager |
| Stephanie Shell | Physiologist |
The Australian Rollers Schedule for the 2018 IWBF World Championships:
November 30: Rollers vs. Korea – 9:30am (GMT+7)
December 1: Rollers vs. Thailand – 5:30pm (GMT+7)
December 2: Rollers vs. Iran – 1:30pm (GMT+7)
December 3: Rollers vs. China – 1:00pm (GMT+7)
December 4: Rollers vs. Japan – 5:30pm (GMT+7)
December 5: Quarter finals – 4:00pm and 4:30pm / 6:00pm and 6:30pm (GMT+7)
December 6: Semi-finals – 5:30pm and 6:00pm (GMT+7)
December 7: Medal Games – 1:30pm and 2:30pm (GMT+7)
The Australian Rollers have selected their team for the 2019 Asia-Oceania Championships to be held in Pattaya, Thailand from the 27 November to December 8, 2019.
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