JUNIOR SUPERSTAR NEWS

Dejana with the bronze medal she won at the recent School Sport Australia Junior Hockey Championships in Melbourne. South Australia finished third after the minor round and secured the medal after defeating Victoria 1–0 in the bronze medal playoff.

This is only the second time South Australia has won a medal in the U15 schoolgirls’ hockey competition since the championships began in the 1990s, and the first medal since 2012 (also a bronze medal). Dejana was instrumental in the teams success.

Message from U15 State School Girls Coach, Peter Garlick:

Dejana was selected at just 13 years of age, having recently turned 14, as the sole goalkeeper for the South Australian Under 15 Schoolgirls team. Despite this being her first national hockey championship, she certainly did not let the team down.

Dejana improved with every game and, in my view, was the best player on the field against Queensland, the eventual tournament champions. Her ability to read the play, execute well-timed slides, make important saves against some of Australia’s best junior players and remain focused under pressure was outstanding.

Her goalkeeping developed enormously throughout the tournament, and she played an integral role in helping South Australia defeat every team they faced other than the two finalists, New South Wales and Queensland.

Dejana remains eligible for selection in the Under 15 Schoolgirls team for another two years. Given the remarkable progress she has made over the past 12 months, it would not surprise me to see her selected as an All-Australian goalkeeper in 2027 or 2028.

A great deal of credit must also go to Lawrence Key for the dedicated and selfless coaching he has provided since Dejana first took up goalkeeping approximately three years ago. As a volunteer, Lawrence attended every state trial and training session, consistently going out of his way to support Dejana and the other developing goalkeepers.