The last time the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos took the field on the international stage was 7 March 2020, so this tournament over the past week has provided crucial match time for all teams as they prepare for the Tokyo Olympic Games in July.

The Hockeyroos produced a series-best performance against a fierce New Zealand Women’s side, with a 3-1 win in the deciding match marking a successful outing at Palmerston North’s Massey University Turf.

With all three previous matches finishing even, Tuesday’s game was viewed as a mini-final for both sides. After surviving multiple Blacksticks penalty corners, an injury to veteran New Zealand defender Kayla Whitelock swung the momentum as the Hockeyroos struck to open the scoring when captain Steph Kershaw pushed the ball over a congested attacking circle.

The Australians doubled their lead three minutes before halftime, with Kalindi Commerford pouncing on a well-played baseline ball from Kershaw to heap further pressure on the hosts before the main interval.

A strong start in the third term for the New Zealanders was rewarded in the 39th minute when all-time leading Blacksticks scorer Olivia Merry beat substitute Hockeyroos goalkeeper Jocelyn Bartram to halve the advantage of their opponents.

Any nervousness felt in the Hockeyroos’ camp was dispelled just four minutes later however, when Renee Taylor found Savannah Fitzpatrick in the circle who made no mistake to get the ball past Blacksticks goalkeeper Georgia Barnett and restore a two-goal advantage.

The Australians continued to effectively absorb Blackstick pressure after Fitzpatrick’s goal and eventually finished the game 3-1 victors, with Head Coach Katrina Powell crediting every member of the squad for a strong ending to an important series.

After a 15-month absence from international competition, the Kookaburras entered their final outing of the Trans-Tasman Series excited to continue building momentum ahead of an upcoming Olympic campaign.

They won their three previous games 3-1, 3-0 and 4-2 since the series started on Thursday 27 May.

A fast start to the final match from the Australian Men saw goals to Nathan Ephraums and Tom Wickham, with the pair both guiding the ball into the net after stinging efforts on goal from Tim Brand.

A Shea McAleese penalty goal just before halftime positioned the Kookaburras with a slight 2-1 advantage entering the third term.

After the halftime break, it was the hosts who looked most likely to score, with the Kookaburras forced to absorb the pressure of the Blacksticks and find an avenue to regain ascendancy in the clash.

Despite the continued momentum favouring the New Zealanders, the third quarter finished without a goal from either side and constructed a grandstand finish for the final term.

The Australians were gifted a penalty corner early in the fourth, with Jeremy Hayward calmly converting past Blacksticks goalkeeper George Enerson to double the Kookaburra’s lead.

After successfully defending a penalty corner of their own, the Kookaburras found the New Zealand net once again after Jacob Anderson reacted first to a Josh Simmonds strike to guide the ball past Enerson.

A pinpoint circle entry ball from Josh Beltz found a diving Wickham to register another Kookaburra goal to help the Australians finish 5-1 winners.

The victory on Tuesday marked a clean sweep of the series for the Kookaburras, with Head Coach Colin Batch praising his side’s versatility and improvement over the four games. 

Daniel Lo Surdo