The Australia men's national field hockey team (nicknamed the Kookaburras) is one of the nation's most successful top-level sporting teams. They are the only Australian team in any sport to receive medals at six straight Summer Olympic Games (1992–2012). The Kookaburras placed in the top four in every Olympics between 1980 and 2012; in 2016, the Kookaburras placed sixth.[3] They also won the Hockey World Cup in 1986, 2010 and 2014.
The Kookaburras' inability to win an Olympic gold medal despite their perennial competitiveness, led many in the Australian hockey community to speak of a "curse" afflicting the team,[4] finally broken in 2004 with the win in Athens. However, they failed to win Gold after that after losses in subsequent Olympics including a loss to Belgium in the Gold Medal Match of 2020 Tokyo Olympics - the Kookaburras instead won the silver medal.[5]
History
editAustralia's first men's team competed in an international match in 1922.[6]
The first major competition won by the national team was the 1983 World Championships held in Karachi.[7]
Participations
editThis section needs to be updated. The reason given is: It is missing the information on the last eight-plus years (since early 2012 at the latest).(September 2020) |
Australia's first men's team competed at the Olympics in field hockey at the 1956 Summer Olympics.[7]
Australia did not medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics[8] or the 1988 Summer Olympics.[9] At the 1992 Summer Olympics, Australia earned a silver medal, losing gold to Germany.[10] At the 1996 Summer Olympics, Australia finished third, earning a bronze medal.[11]
The team won their first Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Barry Dancer coached the side.[12]
Should Australia win the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics they will become the first national team in field hockey history to hold all four international titles available to them simultaneously. They would hold titles in the 2012 Olympics, 2010 World Cup, 2011 Champions Trophy and their continental championship (2011 Oceania Cup) at the same time. Along with those four titles Australia also holds the Commonwealth Games title from the 2010 championships.
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Australia at the 2008 Olympics
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Australia at the 2012 Olympics
Tournament records
edit
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Team
editCurrent squad
editThe following 22 players were named in the Kookaburras squad for the European Leg of the FIH Pro League in Antwerp and London, from 29 May to 12 June.[20][21]
Head coach: Colin Batch
All caps and goals current as of 12 June 2024, following the match against Great Britain.
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | GK | Johan Durst | 18 March 1991 | 38 | 0 | HC Melbourne |
30 | GK | Andrew Charter | 30 March 1987 | 245 | 0 | Canberra Chill |
3 | DF | Corey Weyer | 28 March 1996 | 63 | 3 | Brisbane Blaze |
4 | DF | Jake Harvie | 5 March 1998 | 139 | 5 | Perth Thundersticks |
6 | DF | Matthew Dawson | 27 April 1994 | 209 | 13 | Amsterdam |
10 | DF | Joshua Beltz | 24 April 1995 | 119 | 5 | Tassie Tigers |
16 | DF | Timothy Howard | 23 June 1996 | 137 | 3 | Brisbane Blaze |
32 | DF | Jeremy Hayward | 3 March 1993 | 227 | 120 | Den Bosch |
1 | MF | Lachlan Sharp | 2 July 1997 | 101 | 20 | NSW Pride |
2 | MF | Thomas Craig | 3 September 1995 | 136 | 45 | Klein Zwitserland |
11 | MF | Eddie Ockenden | 3 April 1987 | 445 | 73 | Tassie Tigers |
12 | MF | Jacob Whetton | 15 June 1991 | 277 | 80 | Brisbane Blaze |
17 | MF | Aran Zalewski (Captain) | 21 March 1991 | 261 | 35 | Perth Thundersticks |
20 | MF | Ky Willott | 15 March 2001 | 51 | 14 | NSW Pride |
22 | MF | Flynn Ogilvie | 17 September 1993 | 169 | 29 | NSW Pride |
23 | MF | Daniel Beale | 12 February 1993 | 241 | 34 | Brisbane Blaze |
33 | FW | Hayden Beltz | 8 September 1997 | 11 | 0 | Tassie Tigers |
5 | FW | Thomas Wickham | 26 May 1990 | 108 | 49 | Perth Thundersticks |
7 | FW | Nathan Ephraums | 9 June 1999 | 71 | 33 | HC Melbourne |
13 | FW | Blake Govers | 6 July 1996 | 161 | 147 | Dragons |
21 | FW | Jack Welch | 26 October 1997 | 39 | 15 | Tassie Tigers |
29 | FW | Timothy Brand | 29 November 1998 | 97 | 35 | Klein Zwitserland |
The remainder of the 2024 national squad is as follows:[22]
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Ashleigh Thomas | 21 July 1995 | 5 | 0 | NSW Pride | v. India; 7 April 2024 |
DF | James Collins | 25 February 2000 | 27 | 0 | Perth Thundersticks | v. India; 12 April 2024 |
MF | Jayden Atkinson | 9 July 2001 | 18 | 0 | Brisbane Blaze | v. India; 13 April 2024 |
MF | Craig Marais | 28 May 2002 | 17 | 1 | HC Melbourne | v. India; 13 April 2024 |
FW | Jacob Anderson | 22 March 1997 | 69 | 23 | Brisbane Blaze | v. India; 13 April 2024 |
FW | Joel Rintala | 24 July 1996 | 6 | 8 | Brisbane Blaze | v. India; 10 April 2024 |
Recent call-ups
editThe following players have received call-ups to the national team in the last twelve months.
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DF | Dylan Martin | 12 January 1998 | 28 | 0 | NSW Pride | v. France; 25 June 2023 |
MF | Davis Atkin | 17 February 2001 | 8 | 0 | Canberra Chill | v. France; 25 June 2023 |
Notable players
editResults
edit2024 Fixtures & Results
edit2022 Statistics | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pld | W | WD | D | LD | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
21 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 73 | 48 | +25 | 49 |
FIH Pro League (Leg 1)
edit11 February 2024 India Leg | Spain | 3–4 | Australia | Bhubaneswar, India |
17:30 | Miralles 29' N. Álvarez 36' Cabré-Verdiell 37' |
Report | Sharp 8', 52' Whetton 19' Govers 25' |
Stadium: Kalinga Hockey Stadium |
13 February 2024 India Leg | Australia | 5–0 | Ireland | Bhubaneswar, India |
17:30 | Craig 17' Hayward 22' Willott 25', 57' Ephraums 43' |
Report | Stadium: Kalinga Hockey Stadium |
15 February 2024 India Leg | India | 4–6 | Australia | Bhubaneswar, India |
19:30 | Harmanpreet 12', 20' Sukhjeet 18' Mandeep 29' |
Report | Govers 2', 2' Zalewski 40' Sharp 52' Anderson 55' Welch 58' |
Stadium: Kalinga Hockey Stadium |
16 February 2024 India Leg | Netherlands | 4–5 | Australia | Bhubaneswar, India |
17:30 | Telgenkamp 6' Bijen 12', 22' Janssen 56' |
Report | Govers 33', 53' Hayward 40', 48' Brand 60' |
Stadium: Kalinga Hockey Stadium |
21 February 2024 India Leg | Spain | 1–4 | Australia | Rourkela, India |
17:30 | Amat 2' | Report | Ogilvie 4' Ephraums 8' Hayward 25' Brand 44' |
Stadium: Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium |
22 February 2024 India Leg | Ireland | 1–4 | Australia | Rourkela, India |
17:30 | O'Donoghue 44' | Report | Govers 33', 52' Ephraums 40' Welch 56' |
Stadium: Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium |
24 February 2024 India Leg | India | 2–2 (0–3 p) | Australia | Rourkela, India |
19:30 | Report | Stadium: Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium |
25 February 2024 India Leg | Australia | 3–5 | Netherlands | Rourkela, India |
17:30 | Report | Stadium: Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium |
International Festival of Hockey
edit10 April 2024 Match 3 | Australia | 2–1 | India | Perth, Australia |
17:40 | Report | Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium |
12 April 2024 Match 4 | Australia | 3–1 | India | Perth, Australia |
17:40 | Report | Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium |
13 April 2024 Match 5 | Australia | 3–2 | India | Perth, Australia |
16:40 | Report | Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium |
FIH Pro League (Leg 2)
edit29 May 2024 Belgium Leg | Belgium | 5–1 | Australia | Antwerp, Belgium |
19:00 | Report | Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein |
30 May 2024 Belgium Leg | Australia | 1–2 | Argentina | Antwerp, Belgium |
16:30 | Report | Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein |
1 June 2024 Belgium Leg | Argentina | 3–4 | Australia | Antwerp, Belgium |
18:30 | Report | Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein |
2 June 2024 Belgium Leg | Belgium | 4–4 (3–2 p) | Australia | Antwerp, Belgium |
16:15 | Report | Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein |
8 June 2024 Great Britain Leg | Great Britain | 2–3 | Australia | London, England |
14:30 | Report | Stadium: Lee Valley Hockey Stadium |
9 June 2024 Great Britain Leg | Australia | 2–2 (3–4 p) | Germany | London, England |
17:15 | Report | Stadium: Lee Valley Hockey Stadium |
11 June 2024 Great Britain Leg | Germany | 2–3 | Australia | London, England |
15:30 | Report | Stadium: Lee Valley Hockey Stadium |
12 June 2024 Great Britain Leg | Great Britain | 1–5 | Australia | London, England |
17:45 | Report | Stadium: Lee Valley Hockey Stadium |
XXXIII Olympic Games
edit1 August 2024 Pool B | New Zealand | v | Australia | Paris, France |
10:30 | Report | Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir |
Family
editBarry Dancer/Brent Dancer and Ric Charlesworth/Jonathan Charlesworth are two pairs of father as coach and son as player while both were affiliated with the national team in those positions.[12][23]
Recognition
edit- 1981: Australian Sport Awards Team of the Year[24]
- 1987: Australian Sport Awards Team of the Year[24]
- 2004: Australian Sport Awards International Team of the Year[24]
- 2014: AIS Sport Performance Awards Team of the Year.[25]
References
edit- ^ "FIH Outdoor World Hockey Rankings". FIH. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
- ^ "History of Hockey in Australia". Retrieved 22 February 2022.
- ^ ABC (15 August 2016). "Rio 2016: Australia's Kookaburras and Sharks knocked out of men's hockey and water polo". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ "Kookaburras ready to toss the monkey". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 August 2004. Archived from the original on 27 July 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ "Wagga Wagga's Olympic debutant Dylan Martin helps Kookaburras win hockey silver medal - ABC News". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 August 2021.
- ^ Epstein, Jackie (21 October 2009). "Dwyer breaks free of Holland binds – Australia always comes first". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Australia. p. 76. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- ^ a b Department of Sport, Recreation and Tourism; Australian Sport Commission (1985). Australian Sport, a profile. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Publish Service. pp. 177–178. ISBN 0644036672.
- ^ Dorling Kindersley Limited. (1999). The Olympic Games. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Dorling Kindersley. p. 320. ISBN 1864660635. OCLC 57337092.
- ^ Dorling Kindersley Limited. (1999). The Olympic Games. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Dorling Kindersley. p. 327. ISBN 1864660635. OCLC 57337092.
- ^ Dorling Kindersley Limited. (1999). The Olympic Games. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Dorling Kindersley. p. 335. ISBN 1864660635. OCLC 57337092.
- ^ Dorling Kindersley Limited. (1999). The Olympic Games. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Dorling Kindersley. p. 343. ISBN 1864660635. OCLC 57337092.
- ^ a b Petrie, Andrea (18 October 2009). "Sons a chip off the old stick – HOCKEY". The Sunday Age. Melbourne, Australia. p. 19. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ^ "World Cup – FIH". International Hockey Federation.
- ^ "Champions Trophy". FIH.
- ^ "Australia pull out of Champions Trophy". 12 October 2004.
- ^ a b c "Fédération Internationale de Hockey | Official Website". International Hockey Federation.
- ^ "FIH confirms Spain men and Belgium women join Hockey Pro League". FIH.
- ^ "Oceania Cup". Hockey Australia. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ "Other". FIH.
- ^ "Beltz Brothers back together, hotly contested Kookaburras Squad named for final Pre-Olympic Test". hockey.org.au. Hockey Australia. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Team Details – Australia". tms.fih.ch. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "Batch names strong 2024 Kookaburras squad ahead of Olympic year". hockey.org.au. International Hockey Federation. 6 December 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ Department of Sport, Recreation and Tourism; Australian Sport Commission (1985). Australian Sport, a profile. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Publish Service. p. 116. ISBN 0644036672.
- ^ a b c "Australian Sports Awards". Confederation of Australian Sport. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ^ "Rabbitohs, Fearnley, Fox win top ASPAS". Australian Sports Commission News, 11 February 2015. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games n.d., Tokyo 2020, olympics.com. Retrieved 3 August 2021.