24/08/2026
There are players who pass through a club, and then there are players who become the club. Tanya Storer is firmly in the latter category.
When Tanya Staples arrived at Pirates Hockey Club in 1998 as a 15-year-old, few could have imagined that more than a quarter of a century later she would still be pulling on the orange and navy, still competing at Premier League level, and still being selected to represent Western Australia.
In May 2022, the club celebrated Tanya's 400th Premier League game — a milestone that placed her among the most decorated players in the club. Earlier this season, Tanya quietly passed an even more remarkable milestone: her 450th Premier League appearance.
Those 50 additional games since 2022 are not simply a number. They represent continued commitment to training, to teammates, and to the high standards Tanya has always set for herself. They represent long seasons, and the quiet, steady dedication that defines everything she does as a player and as a person.
What makes this milestone even more extraordinary is what Tanya has achieved in parallel at state level. Since 2023, she has been selected four consecutive times to represent Western Australia in the Women's Over-40s at the Hockey Australia Masters National Championships — in 2023, 2024, 2025, and again in 2026. State selection is earned, not gifted, and across four straight years Tanya has continued to earn it. That kind of sustained representative honour, alongside Premier League hockey at our club, speaks volumes about the standard she holds herself to.
On and off the field, Tanya embodies what it means to be a Pirate. She leads by example and brings the same energy to every game. For the younger players at Curtin University Hockey Club, she is living proof that dedication, consistency, and love for the game are the qualities that define a true stalwart.
450 Premier League games. Eleven Grand Finals. Five premierships. Four consecutive state selections over four years. One club. One true Pirate.
🧡 Congratulations, Tanya 💙