# SA Suns

The SA Suns (formerly Southern Suns prior to 2015) are a women's field hockey team based in South Australia that competes in the Australian Hockey League (AHL). The SA Suns won national championships in 1995 and 2011.

## Team
### 2018

The following is the SA Suns team roster for the 2018 AHL:
Head coaches: Mark Dedman
* Mariana Lagos
* Jane Claxton (C)
* Celeste Foord
* Emily Grist
* Holly Evans
* Euleena MacLachlan
* Amy Hunt
* Alison Penington
* Michaela Spano
* Karri McMahon (C)
* Ashleigh Morrison
* Lucy Talbot
* Leah Welstead
* Amy Hammond (GK)
* Hattie Shand
* Ashlee Wells (GK)

### 2015

2015 SA Suns hockey team :
| Players | Coaching staff |
| Brooke Appleyard Brooke Buchecker Annie Busiko Jane Claxton Emily Grist Samantha Hogan Georgie Kiel Euleena MacLachlan Karri McMahon Jessica Martin-Brown Gabi Nance Georgie Parker Alison Pennington Sally Rutherford Lucy Talbot Charlotte Van Bodegom Leah Welstead | Head coach: Darren Neimke |
Source:

## History
### Name Changes

Since the founding of the Women's Australian Hockey League, the SA Suns have competed under five different names.
Name Changes :
| No. | Years | Name |
| 1 | 1993–1996 | Diet Coke Adelaide Suns |
| 2 | 1997–1998, 2001–2007 | Adelaide Suns |
| 3 | 1999–2000 | Adelaide Bank Suns |
| 4 | 2008–2014 | Southern Suns |
| 5 | 2015–present | SA Suns |

### National Championships
#### 2011 Women's Australian Hockey League

At the 2011 AHL, the SA Suns won the Australian Hockey League for the second time.
This was the first time the SA Suns had won in 16 years, defeating the NSW Arrows 1–0 in the final.
The SA Suns lineup included Hockeyroo members Holly Evans, Bianca Greenshields, Georgie Parker and Elise Stacy. The team was also aided by New Zealand imports Melody Cooper, Clarissa Eshuis and Kayla Sharland. The team was coached by former Kookaburra, Craig Victory.
The team concluded the tournament with 7 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, scoring 29 goals and conceding 14.
2011 SA Suns Lineup :
| Head coach |||
| Craig Victory |||
| Players |||
| · Casey Bell · Brooklyn Buchecker · Jessica Cibich · Jane Claxton · Catherine Connolly · Melody Cooper · Clarissa Eshuis · Holly Evans | · Laura Germein · DeAnne Gilbert · Bianca Greenshields · Sarah Harrison · Georgie Kiel · Leesa McDonald · Anna McGregor · Karri McMahon | · Airlie Ogilvie · Georgie Parker · Janelle Pisani · Tess Reynolds · Kayla Sharland · Elise Stacy · Amy Watters |

#### 1995 Women's Australian Hockey League

The SA Suns won their maiden Australian Hockey League title in 1995.
The team included 1992 Olympians and Hockeyroo members, Juliet Haslam OAM, Kate Allen OAM and Alison Peek OAM.
1984 Olympian Tricia Heberle was head coach of the team.

### Previous Placings

The following table shows the SA Suns' final placings at the AHL since its founding.
SA Suns – Tournament History :
| Year | Position | Year | Position |
| 1993 | · | 2006 | · 5th |
| 1994 | · 5th | 2007 | · 8th |
| 1995 | · 1st | 2008 | · 5th |
| 1996 | · | 2009 | · 6th |
| 1997 | · 3rd | 2010 | · 5th |
| 1998 | · | 2011 | · 1st |
| 1999 | · 7th | 2012 | · 6th |
| 2000 | · 4th | 2013 | · 6th |
| 2001 | · 7th | 2014 | · 6th |
| 2002 | · 4th | 2015 | · 6th |
| 2003 | · 6th | 2016 | · 9th |
| 2004 | · 6th | 2017 | · 7th |
| 2005 | · 4th | 2018 | · 6th |

## Notable players

Notable players who have played for the SA Suns include:
* Kate Allen
* Jane Claxton
* Melody Cooper
* Clarissa Eshuis (NZL)
* Holly Evans
* Juliet Haslam
* Bianca Joyce
* Mariana Lagos (CHL)
* Karri McMahon
* Gabrielle Nance
* Georgie Parker
* Alison Peek
* Kayla Sharland (NZL)
* Michaela Spano
* Lucy Talbot

## Coaches

Previous Head Coaches of the SA Suns have been:
* Mark Dedman (2016–present)
* Darren Neimke (2014-2016)
* Craig Victory (2011)
* Tricia Heberle (1993–1995)

## Home Stadium

The team's home stadium is the State Hockey Centre (South Australia) (also known as the Pines Stadium) which is located north of the Adelaide CBD in Gepps Cross. The stadium has a capacity of about 4,000 with 330 permanent seats. The stadium was used for the 1997 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy.

## Honour Roll

| AHL Championships: | 1995, 2011 |
| AHL Finals Appearances: | 1995, 2011 |
| AHL Podium Finishes: | 1995 (1st), 1996 (3rd), 2011 (1st) |
| AHL Player of the Tournament: | Karri McMahon (2013), Jane Claxton (2015) |
| AHL Player of the Final: | Kayla Sharland (2011) |