HOCKEY: The Hockeyroos have had to settle for sixth place at the World League in Rosario after going down 1-0 to the number one ranked team in the world the Netherlands.
Pleased with the Hockeyroos’ performance against a strong Dutch side, Head Coach Adam Commens believed the girls created good opportunities in what he thought was a fairly even contest.
“This was one of our best performances of the tournament. We really created a lot of chances against the Dutch, it was probably the best we have played against them and we were unlucky to not get a result, however, I’m really happy with our performance all round.
“There are certainly some details that we need to work on in terms of capitalising on the opportunities that we create, but ultimately what we’re doing for 90% out on the pitch we have made big steps forward. We have exposed a number of new players throughout this year and what we saw today was that our players are well and truly up to this level.”
Speaking about the public announcement of the Hockeyroos’ Olympic training squad later this month, Commens added, “We now have a much better idea about the players that we would like to have in that squad. It’s important that we create an environment that is highly competitive, which we now have with 27 players that are all capable of playing high level international hockey. I will be really satisfied with the group that we announce in less than a week.”
The Hockeyroos managed to create themselves some valuable opportunities in the first half against the Netherlands, however, it was ultimately their execution in the circle that failed them against a world class defence.
It wasn’t until the 42nd minute mark that the Netherlands broke through the Hockeyroos’ defence. Picking up a diving save outside the circle from captain Madonna Blyth, Eva de Goede worked her way forward taking on Brooke Peris and Karri McMahon, however, was quickly denied by Australia’s goalkeeper Rachael Lynch. On the rebound, Lidewij Welten fired an unstoppable strike to the right post and successfully hit target, breaking the deadlock 1-0.
Bad weather in Rosario caused the fifth place playoff to be delayed 11 minutes before the final siren, as dangerous lightning settled in above the Estadio Mundialista de hockey stadium.
Heading back onto the field after the delay, Victorian goalkeeper Rachael Lynch was put under pressure by the Netherlands’ forwards, however, she responded well with a double save to ensure the opponents didn’t extend the lead.
Receiving their second penalty corner opportunity in the 54th minute, Australian youngster Georgina Morgan’s low and hard drag flick to the bottom corner was rejected by Joyce Somebroek’s diving save.
Unable to create a final opportunity in the dying minutes of the match, Australia was forced to settle for sixth place, with the Netherlands running out 1-0 victors.
After a busy and successful year of international tournaments, the Hockeyroos will now take a well-deserved break before returning to the squad in Perth in early January to commence training for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
Results
Classification 7th/8th: Germany 5-1 Korea
Classification 5th/6th: Netherlands 1-0 Australia
SF1: Germany v New Zealand (To be confirmed following the conclusion of the semi-final)
SF2: Argentina v China (To be confirmed following the conclusion of the semi-final)
Hockeyroos' squad v Netherlands
Started
Madonna Blyth (Brisbane, QLD) 315/68
Jane Claxton (Adelaide, SA) 77/6
Kirstin Dwyer (Mackay, QLD) 89/8
Jodie Kenny (Wamuran, QLD) 153/92
Rachael Lynch (Warrandyte, VIC) 134/0
Karri McMahon (Berri, SA) 84/8
Georgina Morgan (Armidale, NSW) 20/2
Georgia Nanscawen (Melbourne, VIC) 167/33
Kathryn Slattery (South Stirling, WA) 32/9
Emily Smith (Crookwell, NSW) 134/56
Mariah Williams (Parkes, NSW) 28/4
Used Substitute
Edwina Bone (Evatt, ACT) 88/2
Madison Fitzpatrick (Cabarita Beach, NSW) [QAS athlete] 10/3
Gabrielle Nance (Kingscliff, NSW) [SASI athlete] 15/1
Ashleigh Nelson (Wagin, WA) 190/66
Brooke Peris (Darwin, NT) 69/12
Renee Taylor (Everton Park, QLD) /0
Ashlee Wells (Moe, VIC) 62/0
Hockey Australia
