skip to main |
skip to sidebar
After years of preparation and countless hours of training, 16 players have been selected to represent the Australian men’s hockey team at the Olympics. Six experienced athletes will travel to London for the Games with ten players who will make their Olympic debut and realise a life-long dream.
The Kookaburras took home bronze from Beijing four years ago but for the world number one team, it's gold they want in London.
Head Coach Ric Charlesworth said while the past week had been stressful for selectors, his thoughts were with the exceptionally talented players that had missed out. “It is our job to make judgements about balance and covering every base but in the end there are players that are unlucky,” he said. “This has been a long process over 12 months and many factors were considered.”
The Kookaburras leadership group will be led by five time World Player of the Year, Jamie Dwyer and will include Mark Knowles, Liam De Young, Eddie Ockenden and Fergus Kavanagh.
Star striker Des Abbott will be joined in the team by his cousin Joel Carroll, who has filled the opening on the backline, after Graeme Begbie suffered a serious knee injury in May. “Joel earned his spot in the team through consistent performances this year. At the start of the year he was probably outside the 16, so he played his way into the team,” Charlesworth said.
Young striker Matt Gohdes, who is Jamie Dwyer’s first cousin and drag flick specialist Kieran Govers are exciting prospects and are expected to be key players to watch in London. “Both played well at last year’s Champions Trophy and have progressed solidly and Kieran will be an option drag flicking on penalty Corners alongside Chris Ciriello,” he said.
Midfielder Tim Deavin will join fellow Tasmanian Ockenden in the line-up in his first Games. “We really need his energy, he is a workhorse and we rely on his creative play in midfield,” Charlesworth said.
Goal scoring machine Glenn Turner had hip surgery last year to give him-self the best chance of selection, which has paid dividends.
Goal keeper Nathan Burgers has now cemented his place as the number one keeper in the team after a strong challenge from George Bazeley and Andrew Charter. “He has a huge responsibility and a very important role and I hope he feels like there’s a lot of work to be done yet,” Charlesworth said.
The fight for selection is not over yet however, as two reserves will be picked and there are injury clouds over others. “There is still a contest on for the other two spots and the final squad doesn’t have to be handed over until July,” Charlesworth said. The extra six players that will compete in a three test series in Cairns next week against New Zealand will still be vying for a trip to London. “With our recent injury history, there is some doubt this will be the final 16 we take,” he said.
Matthew Swann, Simon Orchard, Liam De Young and Matthew Butturini will travel to Cairns to participate in the team's preparation but won’t play due to their injuries.
Olympic Team:
Des Abbott, Nathan Burgers, Matthew Butturini, Joel Carroll, Chris Ciriello, Tim Deavin, Liam De Young, Jamie Dwyer, Matt Gohdes, Kieran Govers, Fergus Kavanagh, Mark Knowles, Eddie Ockenden, Simon Orchard, Matthew Swann, Glenn Turner
Source: Hockey Australia Press Release
THE Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) executive board meeting yesterday could not come to any conclusive decision on hiring a foreign coach to replace Tai Beng Hai.
The Board deliberated on the matter, but said they needed at least two more weeks to decided on the foreign coach.
"There was no decision taken on a replacement for Tai Beng Hai, as the president (Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah) said that more time was needed to find a replacement coach," said senior vice-president Dr S. Shamala.
After Beng Hai failed to take Malaysia into the Olympics, the MHC went on a hunt for a foreign replacement.
The front-runner among the foreign coaches is Paul Revington of South Africa, who last coached the Irish team to the silver medal in the Dublin Olympic Qualifier.
And he might just being in his trusted lieutenant Arul Selvaraj, a former Malaysian international who was assistant to Paul in Ireland.
The other possible candidate to replace Beng Hai is Australian Paul Gaudoin.
On the future of Beng Hai: "He has been given the mandate by the Executive Board to do development work, and will be in charge of the Project 2021 team," said Shamala.
And for the Project 2017 team, the Board decided on Lim Chiow Chuan and Lailin Abu Hassan as coaches.
"The Board also could not come to an agreement on whether to accept the resignation of Hashim Yusof (the former MHF secretary and later an office-bearer) as the president said that the matter should be left to his discretion at a later date," said Shamala.
However, the Board did decide that the Asia Cup next year, would be held in October as to accommodate the Junior World Cup which would be held in November.
"No other major decisions were taken by the Board, as many of the matters needed more deliberation time," said Shamala.
THE launch of the Memoirs of Mr Hockey, by Datuk G. Vijayanathan (pic), was officiated by Tun Ahmah Sarji at a leading hotel in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Viji, as he is popularly known, was the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) secretary for 26 years and also a world No 1 umpire from 1973-1976.
He is also famed for umpiring the 1975 Kuala Lumpur World Cup final between India and Pakistan and awarded the 'controversial' goal to India which handed them the World Cup on a 2-1 score.
"It is indeed a honour to have served hockey for such a long span, and I dedicate this book, written from my experience in the sport for over six decades, to my late wife of 51 years, Rajaletchmy, and my two daughters," said Viji.
The 638-page book on his memoirs not only covers his family life, but to a greater extent, includes what he learnt, achieved and parted on and off the field.
The book launch was atended by close to 500 of his friends, as well as hockey players from the 1975 World Cup squad.
KARACHI: Germany beat Pakistan 2-0 in the second match of the two-match hockey test series in Cologne, Germany on Thursday.
The
victory levelled the series 1-1. Pakistan beat Germany 4-3 in the first
match with all four goals scored by captain Sohail Abbas.
Pakistan
are in Europe to prepare for the London Olympics and have already
played Belgium and Germany. The Greenshirts will now be traveling to
Holland for the last phase of the tour.
Dawn
THE Malaysian Hockey Confederation’s (MHC) second Executive Board meeting today would discuss a myriad of issues, with the most crucial being the appointment of a foreign coach.
Also hot on the agenda would be the calendar, as MHC have to juggle tournaments in the Malaysia Hockey League, the Sultan of Johor Cup, the Champions Challenge I, Razak Cup and the 2013 Asia Cup.
And then there is also the proposed attachment of juniors for overseas leagues.
If the calendar is not done properly, there would again be the conflict of club versus country, and not to mention the difficulty in releasing junior players for overseas attach ments if they clash with the local and international tour naments.
“Yes, there are so many things to discuss and iron out in the meeting. The coaches appointment would also be touched, and maybe a solution will be found at the end of the meeting,” said MHC secretary Johari Aziz.
Current national coach Tai Beng Hai might find himself as the Director of Coaching, or coaching the age-group.
The front-runner among the foreign coaches is Paul Revington of South Africa, who last coached the Irish team to the silver medal in the Dublin Olympic Qualifier.
And he might just being in his trusted lieutenant Arul Selvaraj, a former Malaysian international who was assistant to Paul in Ireland.
The other possible candidate to replace Beng Hai is Australian Paul Gaudoin.
The calendar discussion could turn out to be sticky, as MHC moved the Razak Cup to September, and the Malaysia Hockey League can only start after that.
And in November while the Juniors play in the Sultan of Johor Cup, there is an overlapping with the senior side for the Champions Challenge 1 in Argentina.
And if the calendar is not drawn out right, it could turn out to be a messy affair as club versus country, and local tournaments versus overseas attachments could turn into a bloody battle.
