Jake Harvie

Kookaburras defender Jake Harvie comes from hockey royalty. He is the grandson of Gordon Pearce, a three-time Olympian whose four brothers, Cecil, Mal, Eric and Julian, also played hockey for Australia.

Jake’s father Russell is a respected hockey coach, his mother Carolyn was a talented swimmer and basketballer, while his brother Tom is a rising hockey star and the pair play together in the Perth Thundersticks.

Jake burst onto the scene as a 19-year-old in 2017 when he was a late addition to the Kookaburras team that triumphed at the World League Final in India. He handled the pressure of top opposition well for a teenager, impressing with his busy style.

He rarely missed a beat in 2018, competing at the Commonwealth Games, World Cup and Champions Trophy, where he scored his maiden international goal and won best rising player. He was later shortlisted for the 2018 FIH Rising Star Award.  

Jake missed out on selection for the Tokyo Olympics and has spoken about how it motivated him to work harder and build resilience.

“I don’t think I ever felt like I was entitled or that I should have been on that team, but I guess I got used to getting picked in teams,” he said.

“It took me a fair bit of time to get back into the swing of things, get back around the coaches and the group.

“I always knew that I loved hockey, but I think for a while I thought that maybe I didn’t love it as much anymore, but I think it’s just some of the challenges that come with being in a high-performance environment.”

He was back in the Kookaburras in 2022 when they won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, thrashing India 7-0 in the final.

It was an emphatic statement from a Kookaburras team that is near unstoppable when at the peak of their powers. The result continued the Kookaburras’ remarkable record of winning every Commonwealth Games gold medal since men’s hockey was introduced to the Games in 1998.

He was also part of the team at the 2023 Hockey World Cup in India, where Australia lost 3-1 to the Netherlands in the bronze medal match 

The Kookaburras qualified for Paris when they ground out a 3-1 win over traditional rivals New Zealand to retain the Oceania Cup in Whangarei.

Kookaburras goalkeeper Andrew Charter describes Jake as an important member of the Australian team.

“Jake is a fast attacking outside halfback,” Andrew said. “His offensive capability but also his ability in defence is fundamental to how we play.

“His biggest assets are probably his speed and ability to do the basics really well. His ability to get past his opposite number to get on the offensive side isn’t something we have seen from an outside half for a long time.”

Jake is studying physiotherapy at Curtin University in Perth.