Joel Rintala is a breakout star forward for the Australian Kookaburra’s field hockey team, who exploded onto the international scene after scoring back-to-back hattricks in his second and third games in the green & gold!
A member of the Brisbane Blaze in the Sultana Bran Hockey One League, Joel is a 2018 Hockey One champion and was the top goal scorer in 2022.
Joel began his international career winning gold at the 2017 Sultan of Johor Cup in Bahran for the U21 Australian squad. Making his senior debut at the 2023 FIH Pro League miniseries, Joel scored a hattrick in just 21 minutes in his second game, helping Australia defeat New Zealand on ANZAC day. Days later, Joel repeated his incredible performance with a second hattrick against Great Britain, including an equalizer in the dying minutes which sent the game to the shootout that secured Australia another victory. Joel received back-to-back man of the match, making an impressive statement in front of Kookaburra selectors for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
