It started the season out of shape and as competition outcast, but Australian Kookaburras striker Glenn Turner says Goulburn's entry into the Capital League has reinvigorated his love of hockey.
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Goulburn is on the cusp of a shock Hockey ACT premiership as it prepares to play against Central in the grand final on Saturday, less than a year after Turner helped create the team.
A title would cap a remarkable debut season, during which Turner said some of his teammates had lost almost 10 kilograms after leaving Goulburn's first-grade competition to test themselves in Canberra.
The club's success has also helped Turner move on from his Commonwealth Games omission as he refocuses on his bid to win back his place in the Kookaburras side.
"I've been playing for 10 years now ... this team is different. Playing for Australia is individual and you play for big titles," Turner said. "But this is playing with your mates every week and working towards a grand final. I love it. If I wasn't playing for Australia, I'd still be playing here ... so none of that matters.
"Some of the guys just played on Saturdays in Goulburn last year and didn't even train. A couple of the guys have lost 8 kilograms just to make the side and get fit.
"When you get into training and you get that fire in your belly, the competitive side comes out. And each game we've been getting better and better."
Goulburn will attempt to beat a three-time defending champion Central in the grand final. Turner won three titles with Wests but lost the grand final to Central last season before switching to Goulburn.
The competition newcomers started their season with just four players who had previous Hockey ACT first-grade experience - Turner, Aaron Kershaw, Todd Devlin and Kurt Devlin. But they have transformed into a powerhouse after Turner started a sponsorship-raising effort earlier this year that helped secure "unheard of funding for a hockey team".
Turner missed out on selection in Australia's gold-medal-winning team for the Commonwealth Games and has instead been back working at the Goulburn council and playing in the premier Canberra competition.
Goulburn star Kershaw said Turner's return to the team coincided with the charge to the grand final.
"That's definitely when our team turned the corner; we really started to click," he said. "Having Glenn there is massive for the guys, he teaches them at training and in the games he leads by example and the boys follow him."
Turner's success, Goulburn's entry to the Hockey ACT competition and the emergence of Kellie White and Emily Smith as Hockeyroos stars has seen hockey participation grow by 24 per cent in Goulburn this year.
Hockey ACT allowed Goulburn to enter a first-grade team this year without the back-up of a reserve-grade side to allow the Goulburn competition to continue.
"It's improved the hockey heaps and, hopefully, in years [to come] it gets even better. We want to build a platform and coming into the Capital League is massive," Turner said.
"I still want to get into the Kookas ... they told me to have a rest for the Commonwealth Games and if I can keep myself fit I'll be there at the Rio [Olympic Games]. It definitely lit the fire again."
CAPITAL LEAGUE MEN'S GRAND FINAL
Saturday: Central v Goulburn at National Hockey Centre, Lyneham, 3.45pm.
