HOCKEY: A controlled performance earned the Kookaburras a 5-0 win over Korea in their fourth match of the week in Hobart. Blake Govers’ early goal, a Matt Gohdes double and strikes by Chris Ciriello and Daniel Beale did the damage for Australia, who were rarely troubled at the back.
In icy temperatures, Govers’ seventh minute strike showed there would be no freezing in front of goal as the hosts broke the deadlock. Matt Gohdes’ brace of penalty corner rebound goals either side of quarter time took his tally for the week to four and put the Kookaburras in the driving seat against a Korean side that leaked seven when the two teams met last Sunday.
Chris Ciriello chalked up a trademark penalty corner drag flick goal for 4-0 shortly before half time. It wasn’t all one-way traffic however, with the Kookaburras weathering a couple of Korean corners before the hooter, the first going wide and the second kept out by goalkeeper Tyler Lovell.
Flynn Ogilvie and Dylan Wotherspoon almost combined early in the third quarter but it was Wotherspoon’s fellow Queenslander, Daniel Beale, who struck the fifth, converting from close range after Jamie Dwyer’s initial effort had been blocked.
Home town favourite and captain for the night, Eddie Ockenden was shown a yellow card late on but Korea failed to capitalise on the numerical advantage.
Kookaburras Head Coach Graham Reid said afterwards he was pleased with the performance but admitted there’s work still to be done.
“I’m happy with a clean net; zero goals against, again, which was positive,” he said.
“The second half was good from a defensive concern. Apart from there was a two minute period at the end of the first half where we made a few rash decisions in defence.”
Australia were well in control throughout but Reid believes his side struggled at times to break down the defensively-structured Koreans.
“We just need to get better at playing against teams that play with ten men in defence. We need to get better at drawing teams out and moving the ball around more efficiently.”
Looking ahead to making his selection for the forthcoming Olympic qualifying tournament, the FIH World League Semi Final, he added, “The guys are making it really difficult for selection coming up so that’s all we can ask for.”
In the night’s other contest, New Zealand’s Blacksticks bounced back from their 3-0 defeat to the Kookaburras on Tuesday by overcoming Pakistan 4-2. The Kiwis had found themselves 2-0 down early on to goals from Muhammad Umar Bhutta and Shafqat Rasool but strikes from Andy Hayward, Jared Panchia, Phil Burrows and Marcus Child turned the match around.
The Kookaburras meet New Zealand again at 6pm on Saturday.
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Kookaburras squad v Korea
Name (Hometown/State) Caps/Goals
Started
Kiel Brown (Toowoomba, QLD) 157/6
Christopher Ciriello (Melbourne, VIC) 159/101
Tim Deavin (Launceston, TAS) 104/4
Jamie Dwyer (Rockhampton, QLD) 331/215
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT) 36/13
Leon Hayward (GK) (Darwin, NT) 7/0
Eddie Ockenden (C) (Hobart, TAS) 241/60
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW) 167/50
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 88/37
Dylan Wotherspoon (Murwillumbah, NSW^) 13/3
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA) 55/4
Used Substitutes
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) 53/10
Nick Budgeon (Hobart, TAS) 36/12
Matthew Dawson (Central Coast, NSW) 19/1
Matt Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD) 120/37
Blake Govers (Wollongong, NSW) 2/1
Tyler Lovell (GK) (Perth, WA) 40/0
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, NSW) 12/3
^Dylan Wotherspoon is an athlete at the Queensland Academy of Sport and is classified as a QLD athlete but grew up in Mulwillumbah, NSW.
Match Results - Thursday 7 May
New Zealand 4-2 Pakistan
Kookaburras 5-0 Korea
Match Schedule
Saturday 9 May:
Pakistan v Korea [4pm AEST], Kookaburras v New Zealand Black Sticks [6pm AEST]
Sunday 10 May:
New Zealand Black Sticks v Korea [3pm AEST], Kookaburras v Pakistan [5pm AEST]
HOCKEY AUSTRALIA
