SA Suns

{{short description|Australian field hockey club}} {{infobox hockey team | team = SA Suns | bg_colour = #000066 | text_colour = #FFCC00 | city = Adelaide | league = Australian Hockey League | founded = {{Start date|1993}} | arena = State Hockey Centre | colours = Yellow, Dark Blue, Red | coach = Mark Dedman | captain = Jane Claxton, Karri McMahon | website = [http://hockeysa.com.au/State-Teams/AHL/SA-Suns SA Suns] }}

The '''SA Suns''' (formerly '''Southern Suns''' prior to 2015)<ref name="hockeysa">{{cite web|url=http://www.hockeysa.com.au/News/suns-set-to-compete-successfully-with-the-best-teams-in-the-country|title=Suns set to compete successfully with the best teams in the country|publisher=hockeysa.com.au|accessdate=2016-07-26}}</ref> are a women's field hockey team based in South Australia that competes in the Australian Hockey League (AHL).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hockey.org.au/index.php?id=291 |title=Southern Suns |website=www.hockey.org.au |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091022063823/http://www.hockey.org.au/index.php?id=291 |archive-date=22 October 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The SA Suns won national championships in 1995 and 2011.

==Team== ===2018=== The following is the SA Suns team roster for the 2018 AHL:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hockeyaustralia.altiusrt.com/teams/956#players |title=South Australia |publisher=hockeyaustralia.altiusrt.com |accessdate=21 September 2017}}</ref>

Head coaches: Mark Dedman

{{div col}} #<li value=1>Mariana Lagos #<li value=2>Jane Claxton (C) #<li value=3>Celeste Foord #<li value=4>Emily Grist #<li value=5>Holly Evans #<li value=6>Euleena MacLachlan #<li value=7>Amy Hunt #<li value=9>Alison Penington #<li value=10>Michaela Spano #<li value=11>Karri McMahon (C) #<li value=12>Ashleigh Morrison #<li value=16>Lucy Talbot #<li value=17>Leah Welstead #<li value=18>Amy Hammond (GK) #<li value=24>Hattie Shand #<li value=30>Ashlee Wells (GK) {{div col end}}

===2015=== {| class=wikitable | colspan=2 align=center bgcolor=#ABCDEF | '''2015 SA Suns hockey team''' |- align=center | width=300 bgcolor=gainsboro | '''Players''' | width=250 bgcolor=gainsboro | '''Coaching staff''' |- | * Brooke Appleyard * Brooke Buchecker * Annie Busiko * Jane Claxton * Emily Grist * Samantha Hogan * Georgie Kiel * Euleena MacLachlan * Karri McMahon * Jessica Martin-Brown * Gabi Nance * Georgie Parker * Alison Pennington * Sally Rutherford * Lucy Talbot * Charlotte Van Bodegom * Leah Welstead * | valign=top | * '''Head coach''': Darren Neimke |} Source:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-03-01 |title=Southern Suns |url=http://www.hockeysa.com.au/State-Teams/AHL/Southern-Suns |access-date=2024-03-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301121518/http://www.hockeysa.com.au/State-Teams/AHL/Southern-Suns |archive-date=2015-03-01 }}</ref>

==History==

===Name Changes=== Since the founding of the Women's Australian Hockey League, the SA Suns have competed under five different names.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" !colspan=3|'''Name Changes''' |- !style="width: 50px;"|{{Tooltip|No.|Number}} !style="width: 100px;"|Years !style="width: 200px;"|Name |- |1 |1993–1996 |Diet Coke Adelaide Suns |- |2 |1997–1998, 2001–2007 |Adelaide Suns |- |3 |1999–2000 |Adelaide Bank Suns |- |4 |2008–2014 |Southern Suns |- |5 |2015–present |'''SA Suns''' |}

===National Championships===

====2011 Women's Australian Hockey League==== At the 2011 AHL, the SA Suns won the Australian Hockey League for the second time.

This was the first time the SA Suns had won in 16 years, defeating the NSW Arrows 1–0 in the final.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hockey.org.au/index.php?id=90&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=641&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=88&cHash=1bf2bc8d68|title=Home | Hockey Australia}}</ref><ref name="gameday">{{cite web|url=http://sport.gameday.com.au/index.php?id=327&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=539&cHash=def2672291|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305025119/http://sport.gameday.com.au/index.php?id=327&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=539&cHash=def2672291 |archive-date=2016-03-05 |url-status=dead|title=Southern Suns defeat NSW to win AHL Grand Final|accessdate=2016-07-26}}</ref>

The SA Suns lineup included Hockeyroo members Holly Evans, Bianca Greenshields, Georgie Parker and Elise Stacy. The team was also aided by New Zealand imports Melody Cooper, Clarissa Eshuis and Kayla Sharland.<ref>http://hosting3.sportingpulse.com/www.hockeyvictoria.org.au/index.php?id=11&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1256818448&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=107&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=927&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=12&cHash=817cc38c96 {{Dead link|date=March 2022}}</ref> The team was coached by former Kookaburra, Craig Victory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hockeysa.com.au/index.php?id=433|title = Home | Hockey South Australia}}</ref>

The team concluded the tournament with 7 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, scoring 29 goals and conceding 14.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" !colspan=3|'''2011 SA Suns Lineup''' |- !colspan=3|'''Head coach''' |- |colspan=3|Craig Victory |- !colspan=3|Players |- |style="width: 250px; text-align: left"|· Casey Bell · Brooklyn Buchecker · Jessica Cibich · Jane Claxton · Catherine Connolly · Melody Cooper · Clarissa Eshuis · Holly Evans |style="width: 250px; text-align: left"|· Laura Germein · DeAnne Gilbert · Bianca Greenshields · Sarah Harrison · Georgie Kiel · Leesa McDonald · Anna McGregor · Karri McMahon |style="width: 250px; text-align: left"|· Airlie Ogilvie · Georgie Parker · Janelle Pisani · Tess Reynolds · Kayla Sharland · Elise Stacy · Amy Watters |}

====1995 Women's Australian Hockey League==== The SA Suns won their maiden Australian Hockey League title in 1995.<ref name="gameday"/><ref name="hockeysa2">{{cite web|url=http://www.hockeysa.com.au/About-Us/History|title=Hockey SA > About Us > History|publisher=hockeysa.com.au|accessdate=2016-07-26}}</ref>

The team included 1992 Olympians and Hockeyroo members, Juliet Haslam OAM, Kate Allen OAM and Alison Peek OAM.<ref name="sa">{{cite web|url=http://www.premiersreadingchallenge.sa.edu.au/prc/pages/books/ambassador3//|title=Premiers Reading Challenge|publisher=premiersreadingchallenge.sa.edu.au|accessdate=2016-07-26|archive-date=2016-08-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822111711/http://www.premiersreadingchallenge.sa.edu.au/prc/pages/books/ambassador3//|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="sa2">{{cite web|url=http://junior.stjohns.sa.edu.au/subjects/SOSE/Melb_Comm_Games/MAC/aths_corner/HOCK-profileKO.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330195820/http://junior.stjohns.sa.edu.au/subjects/SOSE/Melb_Comm_Games/MAC/aths_corner/HOCK-profileKO.htm |archive-date=2015-03-30 |url-status=dead|title=Starting Blocks - An introduction to the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games|accessdate=2016-07-26}}</ref>

1984 Olympian Tricia Heberle was head coach of the team.

===Previous Placings=== The following table shows the SA Suns' final placings at the AHL since its founding.<ref name="hockeysa3">{{cite web|url=http://www.hockeysa.com.au/State-Teams/AHL/Southern-Suns|title=SA Suns|publisher=hockeysa.com.au|accessdate=2016-07-26}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" !colspan=4|'''SA Suns – Tournament History''' |- !style="width: 100px;"|Year !style="width: 150px;"|Position !style="width: 100px;"|Year !style="width: 150px;"|Position |- |'''1993''' |style="text-align: left"|· |'''2006''' |style="text-align: left"|· 5th |- |'''1994''' |style="text-align: left"|· 5th |'''2007''' |style="text-align: left"|· 8th |- |'''1995''' |style="text-align: left"|· 1st |'''2008''' |style="text-align: left"|· 5th |- |'''1996''' |style="text-align: left"|· |'''2009''' |style="text-align: left"|· 6th |- |'''1997''' |style="text-align: left"|· 3rd |'''2010''' |style="text-align: left"|· 5th |- |'''1998''' |style="text-align: left"|· |'''2011''' |style="text-align: left"|· 1st |- |'''1999''' |style="text-align: left"|· 7th |'''2012''' |style="text-align: left"|· 6th |- |'''2000''' |style="text-align: left"|· 4th |'''2013''' |style="text-align: left"|· 6th |- |'''2001''' |style="text-align: left"|· 7th |'''2014''' |style="text-align: left"|· 6th |- |'''2002''' |style="text-align: left"|· 4th |'''2015''' |style="text-align: left"|· 6th |- |'''2003''' |style="text-align: left"|· 6th |'''2016''' |style="text-align: left"|· 9th |- |'''2004''' |style="text-align: left"|· 6th |'''2017''' |style="text-align: left"|· 7th |- |'''2005''' |style="text-align: left"|· 4th |'''2018''' |style="text-align: left"|· 6th |}

==Notable players== Notable players who have played for the SA Suns include:

{{div col|colwidth=24em}} * Kate Allen * Jane Claxton * Melody Cooper * Clarissa Eshuis (NZL) * Holly Evans * Juliet Haslam * Bianca Joyce * Mariana Lagos (CHL) * Karri McMahon * Gabrielle Nance * Georgie Parker * Alison Peek * Kayla Sharland (NZL) * Michaela Spano * Lucy Talbot {{div col end}}

==Coaches== Previous Head Coaches of the SA Suns have been: * Mark Dedman (2016–present) * Darren Neimke (2014-2016) * Craig Victory (2011) * Tricia Heberle (1993–1995)

==Home Stadium== The team's home stadium is the State Hockey Centre (South Australia) (also known as the Pines Stadium) which is located north of the Adelaide CBD in Gepps Cross. The stadium has a capacity of about 4,000 with 330 permanent seats. The stadium was used for the 1997 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy.

==Honour Roll== {| class="wikitable" |- align=left | style="background:#efefef;" | AHL Championships: | 1995, 2011 |- | style="background:#efefef;" | AHL Finals Appearances: | 1995, 2011 |- | style="background:#efefef;" | AHL Podium Finishes: | 1995 (1st), 1996 (3rd), 2011 (1st) |- | style="background:#efefef;" | AHL Player of the Tournament: | Karri McMahon (2013), Jane Claxton (2015) |- | style="background:#efefef;" | AHL Player of the Final: | Kayla Sharland (2011) |- |}

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Field hockey clubs in Australia Category:Sports clubs and teams in South Australia Category:Women's field hockey teams in Australia Category:Sports clubs and teams in Adelaide Category:Field hockey clubs established in 1993 Category:Women's sports clubs and teams in South Australia