Aussie wizards ooze with class

21/01/2002

AUSTRALIA claim they have yet to settle down for the World Cup, but for
those who have watched them in the Six-Nation, the feeling is that they
are among the early favourites for the 2002 World Cup which begins on Feb
24.
Coach Barry Dancer's men look like an ordinary lot at times, but the
ease with which they score goals is something else.
Australia beat New Zealand 4-2 in the opening match and then beat Japan
3-1 to consolidate their position in the Six-Nation. They were expected to
beat New Zealand and Japan and although the scores seem close, it does not
paint the right picture.
Among the six World Cup teams competing at the National Hockey Stadium
in Bukit Jalil, the team from Down Under look the most prepared.
"We are still working on certain areas because there are lapses of
concentration in the team which could make the difference in our World Cup
quest,' said Dancer after beating japan 3-1 on Saturday.
Japan, to their credit, looked like they were good for an upset in the
first 10 minutes of the match but the Aussies kept their cool and hammered
in three goals before easing off to allow the Japanese to pull one back.
"Yes, we did not have enough respect for Japan after scoring three
goals. My men became overconfident after taking a three-goal lead and
allowed them back into the match. This is one area that we will have to
work on,' said Dancer.
It was the same against New Zealand where Australia took a 2-0 lead but
allowed the Kiwis to equalise before making another strong attempt to
score.
Dancer sees the match against Holland today as a major step towards
their World Cup preparation "because the World Cup holders have been badly
wounded after two matches.'
"Their ego is hurt and they will be out to make amends against us today.
And we will be out to find out how much we have improved since the
Champions Trophy in Rotterdam in November," said Dancer.
Australia beat Holland 3-2 in the Trophy but today, if Holland fail to
pull up their socks, it will definitely be a lopsided match.
Dancer is also worried about the condition of the pitch at the National
Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
"It is a new pitch (laid before the Champions Challenge in December) and
the slippery conditions are a worrying factor. My men have been slipping
and going down to often so I suggest that the organisers (Malaysian Hockey
Federation) make it more playable for the World Cup,' said Dancer.
New turf were also laid before the World Cup qualifiers in Edinburgh and
the Champions Trophy but the organisers used a special machine to make
sure the new turf was not too slippery.
jugjet@nstp.com.my