Local polocrosse guns to pull on the sky blue for NSW at Barastoc and Nationals

Another huge year of polocrosse awaits in 2026, and several local players have already been named to compete in a major tournament after Polocrosse Association of NSW announced its teams for the Barastoc competition last week.

The annual event will be held in Warwick from Friday to Sunday, May 1 to 3, and there will be nine North West Plains players pulling on the sky blue to take on the Queenslanders.

Narrabri Polocrosse Club will be represented by Makayla Elford in the open women’s team, Jessie Ross in the open mixed team, Pip Cullen in the intermediate women’s team, and Kaitlan Schwager in the junior girls’ team, while Galloping Gully Polocrosse Club will be represented by Max Hunter in the intermediate men’s team, Jessie Melbourne in the open women’s team, Clancy Knight in the open men’s team, Daisy Duncan in the open mixed team, and Jane Melbourne in the masters women’s team.

Full team lists are as follows:
Junior girls: Amelia Amey, Madeline Cosgrove, Amber Hooke, Sidney Keir, Jade McFayden, Skyla Mulligan, Kaitlan Schwager.
Junior boys: Nikko Anderson, Joshua Bourke, Josh Clarke, Cameron Clarke, Johnnie Erland, Walter Greentree, Ethan Reid.
21-26-years mixed: Josh Berry, Luka McLachlan, Kye Moran, Thomas Woodward, Ally Gray, Maxyne Prothero, Jillian Rose, Kersten Wall.
Intermediate women: Pip Cullen, Indiana Gray, Charly Robinson-Smith, Zoe Stevenson, Erica Stuart, Marlee Wall, Emily Wamsley.
Intermediate men: Riley Clark, Harry Davis, Max Hunter, Mitch Keith, Zane Smith, Jake Wamsley, TBA.
Open women: Laura Donnelly, Makayla Elford, Abby Finlayson, Gracie Halsted, Jessie Melbourne, Alane Parkinson, Maya Scott.
Open men: Aaron Clarke, Fraser Donnelly, Tim Finlayson, Clancy Knight, Brandon Parkinson, Wayne Stevenson, Joe Wamsley.
Open mixed: Mitch Anderson, Daisy Duncan, Harrison Giffin, Lauren Harding, Jessie Ross, Ryan Slater, Jayde Smith, Mitchell Wamsley.
Masters women: Rachael Hogden, Rachel Hughes, Erin King, Jane Melbourne, Tanya Mulligan, Mandy Smith, Elesha Spillane.
Masters men: Greg Davidge, Ray Davis, Colin Parkinson, Gary Reid, Andrew Rose, Murray Thomas, Brad Wamsley.

NSW also recently named its 2026 Australian Polocrosse Nationals coaches for the week-long tournament that will be held in Darwin in June.

Gully’s Jane Melbourne has been named as the assistant coach of the senior mixed side, and the under-16s girls will be led by an all-Narrabri coaching team of coach Felicity Schmiede (formerly Elford), manager Rebecca Cullen and assistant coach Makayla Elford.

Already named in teams to play at that event are Makayla Elford (open women), Pip Cullen (intermediate women one), Brittney Schwager and Olivia Wilson (intermediate women two), Ella Hunt (intermediate mixed), and Kaitlin Schwager (under-16s mixed) from the Narrabri Polocrosse Club, and Jane Melbourne (masters women), Clancy Knight (senior mixed) and Max Hunter (intermediate mixed) from Gully.