Hockey
28 November, 2025
Teen pulls on green and gold
Edenhope hockey talent Buzz Brennan, 18, has made the Australian under-21 country team, capping off a standout year that has taken him from local competitions to a well-earned national call-up.
Balancing Year 12 studies at Horsham College with playing hockey for two different associations – Greenbottles in the Naracoorte & District Hockey Association and West in the Lower South East Hockey Association – is a demanding schedule for a teenager.
Adding to this impressive workload, Brennan also achieved the rare distinction of representing South Australia at the men’s country championships in Rockhampton, Queensland.
It was there that he decided, almost on a whim, to nominate for the national squad.
“I wasn’t expecting anything at all: it was sort of just a bit of ‘see how I go’,” he said.
“The tournament turned out really well for me.
"I thought it was one of my best representative experiences.
"At the end, they announced the under-21 selection team, and it was a fair bit of a surprise when they called out my name.”
Selected as an attacking midfielder, Brennan is excited but realistic about the challenge ahead.
“I’m just a little bit worried fitness-wise, whether I’m fit enough to play that position,” he said.
“I’m still a good fit player, it’s just the teams we’re playing against will be extremely fit.”
Community support has helped make the trip possible, with Brennan receiving sponsorship from Bendigo Bank Edenhope, the Edenhope Lions Club and the Wimmera Regional Sports Foundation.
The squad departs on December 1 for Indonesia, where they will face the Indonesian national men’s team, ranked 52nd in the world, as well as the nation’s premier league champions, featuring several international players from Europe, Japan and beyond.
They will also take on several under-21 state teams during the tour.
Brennan proudly said family support had also played a key role in his hockey success.
“My family’s coming across to Indonesia," he said.
"Dad’s got time off work, which is one of the first times he’s done that [during the school term]."
Families can tour with the squad, travelling on the same buses and staying in the same hotels.
“Some families haven’t been overseas before so it’s good to know you have that big support network who can help guide you through it.”
With his first international tour now just days away, Brennan is embracing both the nerves and the excitement as he prepares to represent Edenhope, South Australia and country hockey on the world stage.
Fresh from Year 12 exams, Brennan is now balancing elite hockey with big life decisions.
He hopes to study physiotherapy next year and is weighing up university offers in Ballarat and Bendigo.
“Ballarat’s got the better uni course but Bendigo has the better hockey,” he said.
“Hockey’s a big part of my life.
"I’m not fussed where I go as long as there’s hockey.”
Read More: Edenhope