Four players make debut for Pararoos in USA

It was always going to be a tough tournament with the Pararoos taking a young squad as well as debuting four new players.

The team competed in three games which included losses to USA and Canada, as well as the Australian reserve team falling short to the USA reserve team.

But there were plenty of positives to take from the Tri-Nation International Challenge in San Diego, USA.

Victorian Constandinos Christodoulou was incredibly pleased to earn his first cap for the Pararoos and had this to say after the tournament:

"Considering it was my first tour as a Pararoo I was ecstatic and very excited to be chosen to represent Australia in my favourite sport. At first i was overwhelmed at the beginning since it was my first tour, but eventually I settled in and got along with the boys and coaches very well. I feel as though i cannot relate this experience to any thing i’ve ever experienced."

Constandinos also said he is settling in to the team very well and is happy with the support around him:

"I feel that spending quality time with the staff, coaches and players was a huge positive for me. It was all about getting to know everyone that made me feel comfortable about the tour and enjoy it. Whenever I was in need of someone to talk to, they made sure they were there to support us all and we were grateful for that."

Pararoos Vice Captain Benny Roche was full of praise for his fellow Victorian:

"Personally the on field highlight for me was watching Con make his debut for Australia, from a stroke only two years ago to representing his country. Extremely proud of him."

Victorian Angus MacGregor said the tournament was a "valuable experience" and the team now know what to work on and where to improve to get to the next level. Angus also said he enjoyed bonding with the team outside of games:

The best off-field moment was definitely the team card games. A couple of nights during the week, the whole team would get together and play Uno or Spoons. Always a lot of fun and a great way to bond with the team.

The next step for the squad is Iran in November for the Asian Cup. The Pararoos must finish top 2 to secure a spot in the World Cup in Spain next year.