Kookaburras captain Aran Zalewski has called time on his international hockey career, leaving behind a legacy that spanned 14 years and saw him become one of the most decorated players of the modern era.
Fuelled by passion and immense love for the sport, Aran became a triple Olympian and a regular captain with the side, helping the men’s national team to an Olympic silver medal in 2020, a World Cup title, two Champions Trophy titles and three Commonwealth Games gold medals in 268 appearances.
“The Kookaburras have played such a significant role in my life for so long,” Aran said.
“Stepping away from a team that I love and have so many good memories with is the reason it’s hard because I look back with so much gratitude, so much fondness and so much positivity.”
He concedes his decision to retire following the Paris Olympic Games didn’t come easy, as he weighed up his ability to continue while juggling family and his long term career.
“I really tried to give myself the best possible chance to play as well as I could at the Olympics this year, and I felt like I was in really good shape, I was mentally really prepared to play well.
“I questioned if I’m continuing to grow as much as I did over those 14 years as a Kookaburra and when I thought about that, I felt like I wasn’t serving myself as well as I could, but also not the team and what it needs to keep improving, growing, and evolving.
“I’m at peace with that decision and knowing that I can leave hockey and leave the Kookaburras a happy man. Even though everything in Paris didn’t go our way, I still look back on even that experience with some positivity.”
After a dream debut against India at 19 years of age in Bunbury, just over an hour from his hometown Margaret River, Aran soon became a consistent, star midfielder for the Kookaburras.
“My journey with the Kookaburras is a reflection of the journey I took through my life and growing up in Margaret River as a kid with a dream and I was lucky enough to follow that dream and get to live it for such a long time,” he said.
“I loved the simple things. I loved getting a bunch of guys together and trying to accomplish something and having a common goal to do something together that we would remember.”
Just months before his third Olympics in April 2024, Aran celebrated a fairytale, full-circle milestone he’ll always remember, as he recorded his 250th cap for the Kookaburras in front of a packed home crowd with family and friends against India at the Perth International Festival of Hockey.
It wasn’t long after this the captain enjoyed a moment he’ll never forget with the team.
“One moment that I hold very close to my heart was having the whole team down in Margaret River at my house for dinner,” he reflects.
“It was the collaboration of two very big parts of my life, my family and the Kookaburras, and having them all together in one place was very special. I enjoyed that night incredibly.
“When I look back on my whole experience with the Kookaburras over 14 years, it definitely shaped me and it shaped me into the man that that I am today and that I’m proud of.
“I couldn’t have gotten that experience anywhere else, so I’m just incredibly grateful to everyone who played a part in that journey.”
