MURRAY Downs skipper Josh Thornton is excited to pull on the green and gold again when he heads over to England in late April to compete in the Para Jackaroos tour of the UK.
Thornton has been named in the squad alongside Damien Delgado, Tony Bonnell and Chris Flavel who are competing to be selected in the team that will compete at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later this year.
The team will play in two series during their two week tour that will be held at Leamington Spa which is the same venue where the Commonwealth Games matches will take place.
“This is the first time that I get to pull on the green and gold in four years,” Thornton said.
Thornton’s last outing for Australia was a successful one where he won the 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medal on the Gold Coast alongside Ken Hanson and Bonnell.
After that achievement, Thornton decided to step away from international duties to focus on family and work commitments.
“We had just moved to Swan Hill and I wanted to settle the family and get things right here,” he said.
“I didn’t retire, I just needed to go away for a while.”
Roughly 12 months later, in the early stages of 2020, Thornton was ready to get back in pursuit of representing his country again.
“I remember thinking ‘I’m keen to go again’,” he said.
“So I reached out to the national coach and said ‘I would like to be back involved’.”
“And I guess the rest is history.”
Looking ahead to the trip, and Thornton is excited to be back playing for Australia.
“I think I look back to when I was a kid,” he said.
“You talked to the other kids who loved sport and one of the things you would’ve loved to do was play AFL footy.
“And the other was to represent your country in a sport.”
“To have that opportunity is absolutely fantastic.”
“I’m honoured and humbled to do so.
“I feel I play well when I get to that level, because I just don’t want to let myself down let alone the country.”
Thornton has been in solid form over the past few weeks helping Murray Downs take out the Weekend Pennant Division 1 Premiership as well as also winning the region finals in Men’s Singles.
“I am feeling good,” he said.
“I have set myself up a six week training program.”
“I still have a couple of competitions in the next couple of weeks and the last one finishes about April 10.
“I can then dedicate the next three weeks to full UK training.”
Part of the challenge for Thornton will be getting used to different greens that he is used to playing on here in Australia.
“I will get on the slow greens,” he said.
“I am just gearing up towards it.”
“I am making a couple of sacrifices leading up to the tour. If I am going to give it 100 per cent conviction, I may as well do it properly.”
If he was worried about having any added pressure following his success at the last Commonwealth Games, Thornton shrugged off any lofty expectations.
“In our sport, especially Northern Hemisphere v Southern Hemisphere it’s horses for courses,” he said.
“The greens are quite different over in England and hence why we need to prepare greens over here to resemble them.
“I will just go out and give it my all. I know if I play at my best I am a really good chance at making the side.”
Thornton wanted to thank Murray Downs for their continued support in his goal of representing Australia again.
“I am their coach but I am also their ambassador as well and they have been in full support of me in this journey,” he said.
“A massive shout out to Shorty (Garry McCaig), Greg Roberts and the entire board of management and the club for their support.
“Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do this.”
