O'HANLON Grace

General
FROM AUSTRALIA TO NEW ZEALAND
She grew up in Australia but was able to represent New Zealand as her father was born in Auckland. She spent two years training as part of the Australian national programme but, due to Australia's strength at the goalkeeper position, decided to switch to New Zealand to give her more chance of playing at senior international level. "Deciding to move from Australia to New Zealand to pursue my hockey career was a significant and career-defining moment in my life. It was both the riskiest and most rewarding decision I have ever made. If I hadn't done it, there is a good chance I would be sitting behind a desk doing a nine-to-five [job], watching hockey on my phone during my lunch break." (newshub.co.nz, 13 Apr 2018; stuff.co.nz, 13 Apr 2018; thedragflick.com, 04 Sep 2019)

SHOOTOUT HERO
After coming on as a reserve goalkeeper for New Zealand in their semifinal penalty shootout against England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, she saved four out of five penalty shots. New Zealand won the shootout 2-1, ending the team's streak of eight consecutive shootout losses in major tournaments dating back to 2012. New Zealand went on to win the gold medal match against Australia, which she did not play in. (newshub.co.nz, 13 Apr 2018; stuff.co.nz, 13 Apr 2018)