By RUSSELL BENNETT
WHEN the Australian men’s national team lines up in the World Floorball Championships in Latvia later this year, the boys in the green and gold will be aiming to create their own history.
Having recently returned home from the World Cup qualifiers for the Asia Pacific region, five Pakenham players – Ray and Gavin Staindl, Ben and Jeremy Monckton, and James Parnall – will be crucial to the national team’s endeavours in breaking new ground later this year; making out of the group stage of the world titles for the first time. Ever.
Just as in ice hockey, floorball contains line changes during games – five players on, five players off – and the Pakenham boys made up a crucial line change during the qualifiers in Thailand, only conceding goals in one game for the tournament.
The Australian national team is actually at a disadvantage when it comes to training and cohesion amongst the group, given players come from right across the vast expanses of the country.
But that’s what makes that Pakenham line change so crucial.
Looking ahead to the worlds in Latvia this December, the Australians know they’re the rank underdogs. But they’ve been in that position before.
“We had a huge upset in the last one, two years ago, where we beat Russia,” said Gavin Staindl.
“We were paying 16-1 on Sportsbet.
“People just didn’t rate us, but after the World Championships last year, and what we did at the Asian qualifiers this year, we’re expecting to advance from the pool stage.
“Never has it happened before where a non-European team has advanced from the pool stages at the world championships, but that’s our goal.”
The Pakenham Floorball Club – based at Cardinia Life – currently has over 200 members and it’s growing continually. In fact, they’re about to start up a new club in Officer to cater for the swell of numbers.
“We’ll have a Pakenham club, an Officer club, and we’ve already starting doing stuff in Berwick,” Staindl said.
“The word is getting out there, and it does have this trickling down effect.
“Parents have come up to me and said it’s fantastic that we can have elite-level players mixing it with the grassroots.”
Staindl said there are rapid steps currently being taken by the Internationally Olympic Committee to have the sport in the Olympic Games.
“I’m talking to kids now saying in a couple of Olympics’ time – maybe one or two – they could be there,” he said.
“That is such a huge, powerful drawcard to kids.”
