Jacob Carey - Feeling at home in the Brave Cave. Photo credit: Verity Griffin
When Jacob Carey landed in Canberra, he wasn’t quite sure what awaited him as a new member of the Canberra Brave. After a strong start to the season and a stint representing NZ in the World Championships, the 18-year-old continues to impress on the ice and in the locker room.
PLAYING FOR BRAVE
“My experience in Canberra has been some of the best in my hockey career so far. Something every team strives for is a good culture and the brave exemplifies that. The support and relationships throughout the team and organisation are unlike anywhere I’ve played before. On top of that, I’ve had to the opportunity to play and train alongside some of the best hockey players I’ve ever played with before and I’m learning a tonne from them.”
Jacob Carey - Facing off against the Perth Thunder at home. Photo credit: Verity Griffin FINDING HIS FORM
On his strong performance in Brisbane, Carey notes, “We are a really good team. At our best, we are relentless, we never quit, we dictate the game, and teams simply can’t keep up with our depth. The start of the season was rough, but it has paid dividends as we got through it together with an unshakeable belief that we will win and that has begun to manifest itself over the last couple weeks. My success on the stat sheet last weekend was just a result of the team buying in and playing Brave hockey.”
NATIONAL REPRESENTATION
Carey’s participation in national competitions has also helped shape him on and off the ice. “Representing your country is something you never take for granted. I’ve had the honour to do so on multiple occasions all over the world."
Jacob Carey - Taking on the Mustangs big defence. Photo credit: Verity Griffin "The tours with the NZ teams have taught me numerous invaluable lessons as a person and hockey player. On the hockey side, the tournaments are short with high stakes which means you have to learn to be present and not dwell on the past. If you make a mistake you have to get over it and be better. Also, you have to be humble but confident as games are always played with a bit more passion on the international Stage and smaller teams will often shock you if you think you’ve already won the game.
As a person, I’ve developed a fair bit of patience and due to the extensive travel times, the longest being 52 hours in airports.”
Jacob Carey - Towards the 2024 AIHL Finals. Photo credit: Verity Griffin