Oscar Sproule’s journey through Tasmanian hockey

Oscar Sproule’s journey through Tasmanian hockey

Teenage hockey sensation Oscar Sproule has endured more than most 18-year-old athletes. He opens up to Adam Clifford on his injury woes, his family’s impact and the opportunity to be part of Tasmanian hockey history.

Under the floodlights, Oscar Sproule plants his 193 centimetre, 93 kilogram frame between his marker, stick low, eyes locked.

In one smooth motion, he rolls off the defender’s shoulder, collects the pass and lashes it into the backboard.

It’s the kind of play that has made the 18‑year‑old one of the most prolific scorers in Premier League hockey this season — and the kind of moment that could soon etch his name into University’s history books.

“Physically, I’m probably in the best shape I’ve ever been,” Sproule said fresh off scoring 23-goals and only failing to find the net in three matches played.

“I probably only stopped growing this year, so after a big off‑season in the gym I feel a lot stronger and more powerful, which has given me confidence in my body.”

The goals have flowed not just because of his size — which dwarfs AFL premiership forward Jack Darling and would make him the tallest forward in Kookaburras history — but because of a mental shift that began two years ago.

“I started sports psychology around two years ago and it has completely changed how I view not only my sport but my life in general. I now have processes in games, after games and before games which I do no matter the outcome. It’s made me a much more consistent player,” he said.

He knows the feeling of being “in the zone” and finds it comes more easily when the challenge is greatest.

“Finals games and hopefully Hockey One League games with the Tassie will be able to get the best out of me,” Sproule said.

Sproule has played in one Premier League grand final, a 3‑2 loss to North West Graduates in 2023. This year, the stakes are even higher: University’s title drought is the longest in the men’s competition.

“I don’t think blocking out the history is the way I go about it… I desperately want to end it,” he said.

He talks about playing‑coach Ben Read, set for his 350th game this weekend, and club legends like Alistair Brooks and David Bingham, who watch every week.

“It would be great for them to finally see a team accomplish what they did back in the day,” he said.

The push for a premiership comes after a year that tested him far beyond sport. Back‑to‑back hamstring injuries wrecked his season.

“I completely lost faith in my body and was pretty sure I would likely become a player who would show glimpses of potential but not consistently put it together,” the young star said.

That time away brought a deeper lesson.

“I learned how much hockey doesn’t define me. I started to appreciate all the other amazing parts of my life.”

His training philosophy shifted too: “I no longer want to train at 100 per cent all the time and I enjoy doing more technical sessions.”

Perspective also came from those closest.

His sister Harriet, now 15, has fought ongoing health issues, but despite that has this year been named in Australia’s under-16 squad and represented Tasmania in cross country. Their grandfather passed away earlier this year.

“My injuries in comparison to what other people in my family have had to deal with are very insignificant,” Sproule declared.

“Watching Harriet work through her health challenges is more impressive than anything I have done, and, in a way, it helps put in perspective what actually does matter.”

Sport runs deep in the Sproule household. Both parents work at the highest levels of Tasmanian sport — dad Adam as director at the Tasmanian Institute of Sport and mum Kath McCann as a senior executive at Tasmania Devils — but they’ve never pushed him toward any path.

“From my mum, her wisdom is probably getting outside your comfort zone. My dad is calm and focused. I try to be a calm person and not lose control,” he said.

Sproule grew up playing almost every sport he could — football and tennis alongside hockey — and now juggles Premier League commitments with studying psychology. He has no fixed five‑year plan.

“I’ve more or less just gone about trying to become the best hockey player I can become and wherever that leads me I will be happy.”

If there’s one thing he wants people to know beyond his performances, it’s this: “I give everything I can for the people who deserve it.” And if a documentary crew followed him for a week?

“Probably my want to learn. I have a real thirst for knowledge,” he said.

For now, though, all focus is on the next three weeks. The image in his mind is clear: the final whistle, the scoreboard frozen, the roar from the stands. In the middle of it all, he’s wrapped in the arms of his teammates — the same group who have shared the grind, the setbacks, the belief.

“They’ve gone through the same ups and downs,” he said.

“They’re great people to be with. That’s what makes it special.”

Written by Adam Clifford for the Mercury