The NSW Under 14s Hockey squad’s hopes for victory at the Australian Championships next week will be in safe hands with Orange’s star goalie Daemon Southwell making his first appearance as goalkeeper for the state team.

Daemon’s young age belies his experience in the goals, having been a goalkeeper since he was five years old, learning the tricks of the trade from his father and grandmother.

In the recently wrapped-up local hockey season, Daemon played in four different age divisions – Under 14s and 18s for Orange CYMS and Under 16s and Men’s 3rd Division for Feds – and made it to the grand final with each team, winning three out of the four and getting named Orange Goalkeeper of the Year.

With club training days and rep duty, hockey is pretty much a seven-day-a-week commitment for Daemon, but he certainly doesn’t seem to mind.

“It's a lot, but he loves it! And he has so much heart when he plays, so we try and get him to as much as we can, when we can,” says mother Stephanie, who also plays in the competition for Orange CYMS.

“I like the challenge really and how competitive and fun it is... and saving goals,” says Daemon, when asked what he likes about the sport.

Ande playing goalkeeper is just more fun, he says, not seeming to mind the pressure of the position

“I thought the pads looked cool, and I just wanted to try them on…Then I kind of liked it and just stuck with it,” he says.

Earlier this year, Daemon played representative hockey for Orange’s Under 14s and Under 18s teams, but playing for the NSW Hockey team has been a long-held dream. This Sunday, that dream comes true when Dameon steps onto the field at the Under 14s Boys Australian Championships in Brisbane.

“It’s pretty cool… pretty exciting!” says Daemon, who also just recently signed a four-year sponsorship deal with hockey equipment maker, Mazon Hockey.

“And because he made it in the NSW team, he's also automatically made it into the Western Region Academy of Sport as well. So he's got that as well coming up,” says Stephanie.

“We are so proud of him and the work and dedication he has put in this year!”