First the Kiwis and Poms, then the world.
That’s the focus of Townsville hockey star Stephanie Kershaw who believes the youthful Hockeyroos can use next year’s home Commonwealth Games as a springboard toward World Cup and Olympic glory.
Currently back home visiting family, the Perth-based 22-year-old was unavailable for selection for the 2016 Rio Games with a serious knee injury.
But the 22-year-old has since entrenched herself as a Hockeyroos regular under coach Paul Gaudoin in his first year in charge.
Kershaw recently competed in the International Festival of Hockey where a shock loss to Japan relegated them to third in the tournament behind the world no. 1 Dutch and the US.
Kershaw has her sights set on April’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, before the midyear World Cup in England.