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Hockeyroos and Kookaburras are back in business after a good start to the weekend v the respective host teams Belgium in Antwerp

by Sports Benches

Gotta say things take time when our Hockeyroos and Kookaburras team didn’t enjoy a great start to the Antwerp mini-tournament in Belgium off the back of some last minute heartbreaks and unfortunate difficult beating. But glad they both have snatched a win last night against the respective Belgian teams at the second attempt. For the women, things were quiet where not only they defended well including a couple of saves from the keeper Jocelyn Bartram; but they also managed to close them out thanks to the one and only late goal (47th min) from Penny Squibb. The final score was 1-0.

Then in the men, we got another tug-o-war contest but this time it was a high scoring affair. Kookaburras know how to get the ball rolling as we’ve seen in the last couple of games with the early 1-0 lead. Yes, the Argentineans might have dominated the pitch for the majority when they were 2-1 up at half-time. But the Aussie men never gave up through the end of the final whistle having enjoyed a really wild last 15 minutes from equalising them 2-2 to Argentina bouncing back 3-2 and finally, they have somehow found a way to close it out at the last minute thanks to Blake Govers. The final score was 3-4.

Glad both teams used the rest day well to regroup themselves what they’ve picked up with the pros and cons & putting up with the full hour effort is the way to go. Let’s hope they can show Belgium once more (back-to-back games with the women and men’s teams against each other) that they’re a completely different but better side going into the final’s day action later tonight and going into overnight Monday. If they can get the job done, sure they will be able to close things out on a high note for their Pro League campaign next week in London against the likes of Germany and Great Britain ahead of the Olympics in August.

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2023-24 FIH Pro League, Hockeyroos crash out once again this time 5-0 while the Kookaburras lost their way after an early 1-0 lead to a 2-1 loss both by the Argentineans

by Sports Benches

It’s been another rough day in the office for both of our Australian men’s and women’s hockey teams in Antwerp, Belgium this time at the hands of Argentina. The men despite a great start earlier on from Tim Brand was run down off the back of the opposition’s 2-0 comeback from behind during the 3rd quarter before they were held back 2-1 in the end. Then the women were unable to grasp out of the second-best ranked team with hit and misses and also defensive gaps falling anywhere and everywhere even though they were 1-0 down at half-time in the hope of a good turnaround, having also been bitterly bruised 5-0 thanks to an excellent Argentinean 2nd half counter-attack including their dominant possession & winning penalties.

Gotta say too much ill-discipline and not enough possession when creating the best chances with the ball has crippled the Hockeyroos so much when the backline including the goalkeeper worked so hard to stop the Argentineans from its tracks which wasn’t oh so easy. We thought being 1-0 down is better than nothing so they can turn things around in order to bridge the other end that would hopefully bring some confidence to close things out their way but nothing much has changed unfortunately when the Argentineans had greater control of the ball from here that restricted the best out of our attack.

As said with the men, great start by the Kookaburras with the quick counter-attacking finish where there were some good numbers to give Tim Brand the finishing touches he needs for the early lead while toning the opposition play down that puts them in front at half-time 1-0. However, they just couldn’t build on when trying to get past a robust Argentinean defense including some hit and misses before it eventually came back to haunt them, particularly during the 3rd quarter. Their momentum just isn’t the same as it was earlier on when there less opportunities towards shots on target while witnessing the Argentinans rebound by ripping up their own backline with numbers clearly shown to snatch the lead & then shut it down including another set of lost penalties & ill-discipline that consigned them to yet another loss against another top-notch side.

The Hockeyroos will have a rest day today with the Kookaburras getting a bit more time before they will both be back in action this weekend. Here’s the following next matches to round off their Belgian mini-tour in Antwerp before turning their attention to Germany and Great Britain to finish off the 2023-24 FIH Pro League season in London, UK sometime next week:

  • Hockeyroos v Argentina again on Saturday night our time with the Kookaburras to follow straight after that v the Argentina Men’s team.
  • Hockeyroos continue on Sunday night our time v Belgium again; same with the Kookaburras v Belgium once more straight after that in the early hours of Monday morning our time.
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FIH Pro League, Kookaburras being run down so easily 5-1 while the Hockeyroos were snatched away at the last minute by both the men’s and women’s Belgian teams in Antwerp

by Sports Benches

Field Hockey is back for another while to bring down the 2023-24 FIH Pro League season across Europe for both our Hockeyroos and Kookaburras teams before Olympics time in Paris, France come late July-early August. It all began with back-to-back men’s and women’s matches against Belgium where the men were very much bruised by the hosts 5-1 whose good form up until then was unfortunately collapsed deep down despite equalizing for a bit earlier at 1-1 in the first quarter. Then we saw the Hockeyroos almost got it 2-1 after a tough, physical 2/3rds until a last minute penalty corner goal by Belgium gave them another lifeline going into the penalty shootouts after a full 60 mins at 2-2 all and again, we saw an unfortunate and unlucky end to see them fall short at the hands of the hosts once again 3-2.  We congratulate the hosts on their excellent performance with the men being too good and the women so resilient that made our Hockeyroos so difficult to maintain control on the pitch. For the Aussies, it’s going to be another tough next encounter ahead when they will both take on against the respective men’s and women’s Argentinian side later tonight. Our men should continue to take advantage of these early starts and build on it on the front foot rather than leave it so late where they struggled mightily under pressure whereas the Hockeyroos better watch their discipline other than scoring or else it will compromise their defense & also their momentum.

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2023-24 FIH Pro League, Kookaburras continue their unbeaten winning run thanks to a comfortable 4-1 victory v Spain

by Sports Benches

Another day, another win for the Kookaburras as they continue their unbeaten run against Spain again 4-1 to start their 2nd week Indian tour in the 2023-24 FIH Pro League Season. Spain actually fired off with the quick goal just a few minutes after the game was underway but the Kookaburras dominated the 1st half with three goals on hand (back-to-back from open play in the 1st quarter not long after Spain’s one and only goal followed by a successful penalty corner in the 2nd quarter). Now things may have slowed down later on but still it’s the Kookaburras day on the pitch thanks to an extra goal in the third quarter before they tighten things up at the back to make Spain harder to beat past the net while dominating the ball along the way on what has been a excellent win. Their next game will be against Ireland tonight followed by back-to-back games this weekend to round off their Indian trip against the host team India and the high-flying Netherlands again respectively.

A mighty team effort all around for the sake of the Kookaburras with the dominant possession of the ball as well as being able to interrupt the Spanish since their defense and attacking play was so vulnerable, which gave them a great chance to put one down through the net and they did so very well a few times. Gotta credit the brilliant passage of play while making the good use of the counter-attack so it can flow well through the channels. Plus, don’t forget they defended tight for the majority with credit from the keeper as well to deny Spain the confidence they really need against their own corner. Speaking of the Spanish, they almost got it against India when they were equalised in the 3rd quarter before they losing out via penalty shooutouts as well as the quick opening lead yesterday here. But unfortunately, they still struggled to kick on where attacking chances were flying everywhere as well as some defensive and disciplinary mistakes and also mis-timed passes when trying to go towards the attacking end that saw them languishing so far behind the Kookaburras on the scoreboard. Spain has a tough next game ahead v Netherlands tomorrow when they currently sit 7th on the ladder & have only won once last week v Ireland.

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Hockeyroos end their Indian tour of the 2023-24 FIH Pro League with back-to-back losses v India and Netherlands

by Sports Benches

It wasn’t the weekend the Hockeyroos wanted having lost both to India (1-0 on Saturday) and the Netherlands (3-1 last night) from the weekend, but they came out there to put out a fight, especially in defense where they made opposition teams difficult to score. We wished they could do better in attack but then they’re up against teams that are extremely high standard, which is going to be so difficult through the pitch. There’s another plus to take out with Steph Kershaw being so good up front when taking penalty corners and can strike a few goals for the benefit of the Hockeyroos team here & there. Plus, shoutout to Yibbi Jansen from the other end in the Oranje who simply never stopped scoring thanks to another hat-trick haul.

Now our women’s team will be heading back home after they’ve picked up some good wins over the last two weeks during their Indian tour before resuming their next FIH Pro League campaign come May in Antwerp, Belgium. In the meantime, there’s always the Kookaburras men’s team to cheer on, who is still yet undefeated so far going into the their next game v Spain again on Wednesday.

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Kookaburras completed another comeback last night from 0-3 down to an unbelievable 4-5 win this time v No.1 Netherlands team

by Sports Benches

Who would’ve thought when the Kookaburras was on the brink of defeat after they were 3-0 down to the high flying Netherlands at half-time with gaps here & there in defense like it was against India the other day having been two goals behind at the break 4-2 before they completed an unreal comeback win in the end 6-4. But glad the game is not at all over and yet the Kookaburras began to make up lost time with back-to-back goals in the third quarter while the Dutch were scoreless as they were just a single goal behind them going into the final quarter. Although the Dutch struck one back to bring the equaliser (4-4) for the fourth goal after the Hockeyroos took the lead for the first time so late into the match, but again, the Kookaburras just never stopped working with loads of opportunities in the attacking third until things go their way in the end and fortunately, they are still undefeated at the end of the day with the win v the No.1 team by one point 4-5.

Gotta say the half-time pep talk has always paid off likewise with the India game where gaps were everywhere in defense from their end earlier on but glad they got into work right away from the restart including benefitting from the Netherlands’ 2nd half ill-discipline, especially when they turned things around by dominating attacking game time upfront. Blake Govers kept on scoring with two goals again in as many games now while Jeremy Hayward is excellent with two of his own off penalty corners. Yes, they might have made the odd disciplinary mistake whilst leading 3-4 as the Kookaburras might need to watch out there under pressure that led to a successful penalty goal from the Dutch. But speaking of under pressure, they never backed down thanks to their rejuvenated attacking intent and possession where Tim Brand brought out the game-winning strike with 30 seconds left on the clock before they defended well tight including a brilliant save until the end for the win.

And so sorry for the Dutch who did not hesitate to get the ball rolling with a brilliant start that demonstrated their top-notch dominance as always & it won’t be easy for the rest of the other teams to match that kind of standard. They thought it was their match quicksmart but that’s only one half of the match as their failure to stop the Kookaburras in their tracks came back to haunt them before it was too late to shut them down under pressure when the clock is running out of time. Now it’s the Hockeyroos’ turn to make the Dutch team pay by going one better in the next women’s match tomorrow after their 6-2 loss when they last met Friday last week but first they got India ahead not too long from now to start off their weekend run.

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2023-24 FIH Pro League, Huge day last night with the Hockeyroos def. USA comfortably 4-0 while Kookaburras got away v India unscathed in a high scoring victory 4-6

by Sports Benches

Here’s another team performance all around by the Hockeyroos thanks to a 4-0 win v USA early in the afternoon over in India. They too have been brilliant both in defense and most importantly also up front in attack. Alice Arnott controlled well inside the circle en route with the opening strike earlier on followed by back-to-back goals by Maddison Brooks & Rebecca Greiner to make it 3-0 at half-time. Claire Colwill helped extend the Kookaburra’s winning score to four off the back of a penalty corner late in the 3rd quarter while things were quiet in the 2nd half. They did well to stop USA though in its tracks despite some good opposition work by the goalkeeper as well as some attacking effort against their own territory, having seen them leave without a goal as the clock ticks down in the end 4-0.

Then we saw such a close high scoring game between India and the Kookaburras later on at midnight our time. Forward Blake Govers absolutely bagged two quick goals off Aran Zalewski for the Kookaburras just inside two minutes into the match before India dominated most of the first half thanks to skipper Harmanpreet Singh off penalty corners going into half-time 4-2. So a few ill-discipline here & there has gave them the upper hand but the game isn’t over yet. As the game goes on, the Kookaburras found the net again after a predominantly quiet 3rd quarter that rounds off Govers’s hat-trick haul. Then they went even better in the 4th & final quarter to level India at 4-4 all before the Kookaburras can taste the winning feeling on what has been a mighty team effort 4-6 thanks to Lachlan Sharp, Jacob Anderson & Jack Welch.

Both of our men’s and women’s hockey teams sit 2nd now on their respective team ladders in the 2023-24 FIH Pro League season with the Kookaburras v Netherlands next up tonight followed by Hockeyroos v India tomorrow. 

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2023-24 FIH Pro League, the Men’s Kookaburras team fired off with back-to-back wins while the Women’s Hockeyroos answer their opening 3-0 loss with a 2-0 win v China

by Sports Benches

Field Hockey goes on and on over the last couple of days with the Men’s Kookaburras team started their 2023-24 FIH Pro League season from Sunday with back-to-back wins against Spain and Ireland while the Hockeyroos had a few days off at the same time after their huge 6-2 loss against the Netherlands last Friday before they finished off their opening game payback v China last night. In the first men’s game, the Kookaburras were way out in front thanks to a wonderful start 0-3 earlier on before Spain has held them back in between the half-time breaks during the 3rd quarter at 3-3 apiece. Fortunately, we were able to escape the Spanish unscathed in the end 3–4 thanks to a game-winning strike upfront by Lachlan Sharp, who got his 2nd goal into the net with eight minutes to go (4th quarter). Two days later, they made even more winning progress – having led comfortably 3-0 in the 1st half before they collected two more including another Kye Willott finisher to make up a thumping 5-0 win v Ireland. And last but not least, the Hockeyroos have returned for their 2nd Indian leg yesterday where the game might be quiet for nearly the first half but they at least got away with two goals back from their opening game defeat before last week v China. Grace Stewart has scored once again as many goals per match now & Steph Kershaw finished off her side’s quick counter-attacking play for the 2nd even against without a goalkeeper involved with a clean strike into the net.

Now there’s a huge double-header tonight with the Hockeyroos starting the day early v USA again before the Kookaburras take on India later on during midnight our time in the hope of continuing their unbeaten run for win No.3 so far this week.

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The Stewart’s continued to shine for the Hockeyroos but the whole pitch still has the No.1 Netherlands side written all over it

by Sports Benches

It was a very tough day in the office last night after the Hockeyroos were beaten so bad by the top-ranked & free scoring Netherlands team. The Netherlands have started off well who scored three goals in the first two quarters before Tatum Stewart snatched one back for the Hockeyroos ahead of half-time at 3-1. Unfortunately, the Hockeyroos fell way behind later on where the Dutch kept on scoring with their extended lead during the 2nd half. Marjin Veen got away with a hat-trick while midfielder Yibbi Jansen continued to score as always with two off the penalty corner. Yes, another Stewart in Grace have added the 2nd consolation goal for the Hockeyroos herself in the 4th & final Quarter on what has been her third goal this week like the other Stewart in Tatum. But again, a tough pill swallow against a very strong & powerful Dutch side with the loss by 6-2. 

Marjin Veen is such a goal scoring machine where a mistake of two or a missed scoring opportunity from the opposition would give her the benefit to ruin them in return following her first International career hat-trick. She’s got a great eye right in front of goal every time the ball was given to her where Veen wanted it so badly from her own numbers in the final third attack before she has the licence to thrill to finish it off past the keeper with credit to their possession. There’s another goal Dutch scoring machine in the middle of the park of Yibbi Jansen, especially when it comes to penalty corners off the back from Hockeyroos’ ill-discipline with two goals to her name where she struck really well like a rocket. She too would’ve liked to get a hat-trick herself but Jansen will ensure that the Dutch will keep on firing with lots of goal scoring chances for the team including some for herself on top of the benchmark with 11 goals this season. And finally, so sorry to the Hockeyroos where they defended hard against the No.1 team but some missed finishing chances also turned the favour to the Dutch after the huge loss. Hats off to Steph Kershaw up front having gave two goals to the Stewart’s – one for Tatum via the penalty corner & another for Grace later on when she found some space through the channels. It’s just not her day where things could’ve been better if her team successfully converted all chances into goals that would the Hockeyroos a fighting chance v the Dutch, but again they are a team that is unstoppable & it’s up to them to respond before coming back with confidence next time around.

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2023-24 FIH Pro Hockey League, Hockeyroos strike 3-0 this time v India from Wednesday thanks to a Kaitlin Nobbs masterclass ahead of their next match v the Netherlands tonight

by Sports Benches

From a 3-0 loss at a start to now back-to-back 3-0 wins, the Hockeyroos were on fire two days ago v India ahead of a huge showdown later tonight v the No.1 ranked Netherlands side. It might have been a quiet first quarter but they too have opened the scoring account with two goals ahead of half-time thanks to Grace Stewart & Tatum Stewart. Although things were quiet again in the 3rd quarter while they hold a 2-0 advantage before Kaitlin Nobbs completed her attacking masterclass that sealed the Hockeyroos’ 2nd win this week towards the end 3-0.

As said, hats off to Kaitlin Nobbs who has been a huge menace for the Indian defenders with her excellent attacking performance of two assists to the Stewart’s followed by that 1 v 1 counter-attacking finish herself off the left side pitch. She always made sure that the communication is there with her numbers before all systems can go to finish it off the work for her either way. Meanwhile, Grace Stewart has scored once again where she’s been an excellent threat upfront with credit from the service being given in the final third. So much pace and physicality alongside a great height on offer every time she appears up close off the net as she can do anything & everything that is right in front of her.

And considerations to India there with the loss at home, having won possession earlier on with some opportunities here & there. But unfortunately, the executions was vague while the defense was wide open & vulnerable that made it so easy for the Hockeyroos to get the job done at their own territory. They lost two goals in the lead up towards half time before it was too late after India struggled to find the net all along with the loss 3-0.

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