Warrnambool-raised hockey player Max Ferrier selected by Hockey Club Melbourne in national competition

Belief has been paramount over the past year as the 26-year-old went to work to improve his game, driven by disappointments and the realisation he needed to strive harder.

The Melbourne-based striker has been rewarded for an impressive 12 months with selection in Hockey Club Melbourne's 30-player squad for the third season of the Hockey One national competition, which begins in October.

The Hockey One competition, formerly the Australian Hockey League, features seven teams across the country and is a breeding ground to unearth future players for the national teams - the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos.

"I was picked in the extended squad last year and that was the final 40 or 44 and I didn't make the cut and they've just narrowed it down a bit more this year and am just lucky enough to get in," Ferrier told The Standard.

"I've worked pretty hard for it. There's another few weeks of trials and training and they basically pick the player squad in a month or so.

"Ever since getting cut I've worked hard for it, the state level is where I want to be at and there's a few Australian players in there. It's really good to get amongst it."

He added the extra work done outside the pitch had been a catalyst.

"I've really pushed myself off the pitch in the gym and doing the extra stuff and I think that's paid off," he said.

"With these teams it's just getting your name up there, I just didn't quite have the confidence last year and didn't have that belief.

"It's gone another level up and it all feels a bit more natural for me now.

"I've felt like I'm a bit more at the level this year."

From humble beginnings in Warrnambool, it's been a swift rise to the elite level.

"I got into the sport just through family, my sister played and my mum was involved and one day they just dragged me along and I got into from that," he said.

"I started off down in Warrnambool, developed a bit through my juniors and moved on to Ballarat and then Melbourne eventually. I've loved it every step of the way."

Ferrier's focus for now will be to cap off a strong season with the Geelong Sharks in the Hockey Victoria Premier League where he has scored 19 goals from 13 games with three matches to come.

"I doubled my tally from last year. We were in premier league last year and it was our first year and this year I've hit my form," he said. "I feel like my form has been driven by my Hockey Melbourne stuff, wanting to show what I can do."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.