Gus van Hart, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Two Moulamein sisters are set to pull on New South Wales colours at Barastoc 2026 after both landed surprise representative call-ups in different squads.

Barastoc is an annual three-day interstate polocrosse carnival featuring representative state teams from across the country.

Indi Gray was named in the New South Wales Intermediate Women’s squad for the May carnival, building on her recent selection in the intermediate group at Nationals.

“It feels really good,” she said.

“Coming from Nationals in the intermediate squad and now making it into the women’s, which is obviously higher up.

“It feels like all my work is slowly paying off. I’m loving that I’m finally getting somewhere.”

Older sister Ally Gray, 22, has also been selected, earning a spot in the Barastoc mixed squad despite spending the past year working remotely in Western Australia’s Kimberley and being away from the sport.

“I was shocked, because I’ve been away for a year. I haven’t played for a year,” she said.

“I said to Mum and Indi, ‘I’ll just say my name and see what happens and I’ll play this year.’

“Then Mum goes, ‘Here’s an email.’ … She was like, ‘Sit down.’ … She was like, ‘You’re in the mixed squad.’ I was like, ‘What?'”

Ally said she had played polocrosse for about 12 years and believed her last full season before leaving helped her case with selectors.

“Probably the season before I left, my last season playing, I won a few, like best horse and best workrider, and one or two women’s comps,” she said.

“My name kind of started to get out there, I guess. … I find myself a quiet achiever.”

Indi said her call-up reflected years of early mornings, travel and behind-the-scenes work, and she believed her reliability on the field stood out.

“No matter what, when I go on the field, I feel like when they see me they know I’m going to get the job done,” she said.

With Barastoc expected to bring hot conditions and a busy schedule, Indi said managing horses would be crucial across the weekend.

She said a recent trip to New Zealand had also sharpened her game, including learning to adapt quickly to unfamiliar horses and heavy ground.

“Riding a horse you’ve never ridden before … then straight into a game the next day,” she said. “It makes you a better player. You’ve got to just play with what you’re given.”

“It was really wet. They had about 60mm on the fields. It was about half a foot of mud,” she said. “Learning to play in different conditions like that … helps. The whole experience was incredible.”

Back home, Indi said her horses had been back in work for the past two to three weeks and she planned to attend state coaching at the start of March.

Ally said her own lead-in would include getting horses fit after time out, plus hitting the gym herself.

“A lot of my horses have been in foal, so getting them fit … and then hit the gym myself,” she said.

Despite landing spots in different squads, Ally played down any sibling rivalry.

“No. We get along pretty well actually,” she said.

Barastoc 2026 is set to run from Friday, 1 May to Sunday, 3 May at Warwick Polocrosse Club in Warwick.

Indi said her long-term goal was to keep climbing.

“My dream is to play for Australia, and I’m slowly forming my way there,” she said.

With costs adding up, she said local sponsorship support would be welcome as preparations ramped up.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 5 February 2026.