HOCKEY: The Kookaburras bounced back after a disappointing defeat by Great Britain, knocking the hosts off a 6-1 victory in their second warm-up match at Bisham Abbey.
With the World League Semi Finals pushing back in Belgium on Saturday, Kookaburras head coach Graham Reid said afterwards that he was particularly pleased with the men’s improved performance after previously being defeated 3-1 by Great Britain.
“It was a much better performance by the team tonight, they played with a lot more tone and energy which was pleasing to see. Coming away from Saturday, we needed to be tighter as a team and putting more pressure on our opponents, which was an improvement against Great Britain tonight."
Speaking about the general vibe amongst the group with the World League Semi Finals pushing back on Sunday, Reid added, “It’s positive at the moment. Without wanting to downplay Saturday’s result, the boys were disappointed with themselves, however, today’s match was more of a benchmark performance and we need to take that into Belgium with us.”
It didn’t take long for the Kookaburras to break onto the scoreboard after Chris Ciriello netted their first goal off the back of a penalty corner in the 10th minute, pushing the Australian men in front with a 1-0 lead edging into the second quarter.
Moments before the halftime break, Kookaburras’ Simon Orchard managed to slot the ball behind Great Britain’s goalkeeper George Pinner, doubling their lead 2-0.
Coming into three-quarter time, Kookaburras’ youngest and most recent debutant Blake Govers, extended their lead 3-0 off the back of a penalty corner drag flick at the 39th minute. Following four minutes later, Jamie Dwyer netted from inside the circle, pushing the Kookaburras in front with breathing space, 4-0.
Trailing behind by four goals, Great Britain were unable to convert their attacking opportunities in the first 30 minutes of play, however, a chance to break onto the scoreboard came at the 40th minute mark after Chris Griffiths successfully managed to hit target.
With 15 minutes remaining on the clock, Aran Zalewski and Chris Ciriello quickly added to the Kookaburras’ tally one minute apart in the 54th and 55th minutes, which resulted in Great Britain unable to knock the Kookaburras off a hard fought 6-1 victory.
The Kookaburras depart for the World League Semi Finals in Belgium on Tuesday morning, facing France in their first match of the Olympic qualifier on Sunday 21 June at 02:00am AEST / 12:00am AWST live on Fox Sports.
Kookaburras squad v Great Britain
Name (Hometown/State) Caps/Goals
Started
Tim Deavin (Launceston, Tasmania) 108/5
Matt Gohdes (Rockhampton, QLD) 124/37
Blake Govers (Wollongong, NSW) 5/4
Kieran Govers (Wollongong, NSW) 101/52
Fergus Kavanagh (Geraldton, WA) 199/14
Mark Knowles (Rockhampton, QLD) 258/22
Tyler Lovell (Perth, WA) 43/0
Simon Orchard (Maitland, NSW) 171/51
Matthew Swann (Mackay, QLD) 115/5
Jake Whetton (Brisbane, QLD) 90/37
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA) 59/5
Used Substitutes
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD) 57/10
Kiel Brown (Toowoomba, QLD) 1616
Andrew Charter (Canberra, ACT) 91/0
Chris Ciriello (Melbourne, Victoria) 163/105
Jamie Dwyer (Rockhampton, QLD) 334/218
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS) 245/61
Tristan White (Wollongong, NSW) 56/3
Match Schedule
21 June - 18:00hrs / 02:00hrs (+1) - World League: Kookaburras v France
24 June - 20:00hrs / 04:00hrs (+1) - World League: Kookaburras v Pakistan
26 June - 20:00hrs / 04:00hrs (+1) - World League: Kookaburras v Poland
28 June - 16:00hrs / 00:00hrs (+1) - World League: Kookaburras v India
1 July - TBC - World League: Quarter Final
3 July - TBC - World League: Semi Final / Classification
5 July - TBC - World League: Medal Matches / Classification
Broadcast
In Australia, Fox Sports will show the Kookaburras' matches (and those of the Hockeyroos) live from the World League. Online, starsports.com will have matches and highlights from the whole tournament. Hockey Australia is awaiting confirmation from FIH as to whether the Australian matches will be available to watch online.
HOCKEY AUSTRALIA
