Gallery | Hockey Australia Country Championships enter final days

The 2023 edition entered a rest day on Thursday following five days of fast-paced and captivating action at Shepparton’s hockey centre and it’s given sides a chance to do last-minute reconnaissance on how to defeat NSW.

The Sky Blues sit undefeated in the men’s and women’s fixtures ahead of semi-final matches on Friday.

The two outfits have been ruthless on the Smurf Turf during the past week and both boast a superb goal difference of +18.

Friday’s action begins at 9am with Queensland set to take on Victoria in the men’s second semi-final, followed by the first semi between NSW and Western Australia at 1pm.

In the women’s semi-finals, Queensland takes on Australian Defence Force at 11am, followed by the NSW and Victoria clash at 3pm.

The gold medal matches will take place on Saturday, with the men’s final kicking off at 1pm and the women’s decider scheduled for 3pm.