National head coach Colin Batch says time used to fix mistakes from the 2023 season was a ‘blessing in disguise’ as the world number three side bids to back up its podium finish from the Tokyo Olympics.

After taking silver at the postponed Games, the Kookaburras finished a frustrating fourth at the 2023 World Cup in India despite Jeremy Hayward being the tournament’s top scorer; its weakness being errors inside the defensive circle.

“At the end of the tournament, I said to the guys, ‘This is the greatest gift’,” Colin says.

“I asked them, ‘Why do you think I say it's a gift?’ They all got it right when they said, ‘We were exposed’. 

“The good news is we've had a chance to correct it. If these mistakes weren't exposed, we would've gone on as if everything was fine and if we find that out at the Olympics it's harder to fix. 

“We've had time to coach, train, learn and so we can perform better in Paris.”

For the first time since 2008, the team will be led by the same coach at a consecutive Olympic Games. This is something Batch, who’s been to seven Games as an athlete and coach, believes will provide stability and continuity for the team.

There are three debutants in the side and 13 returning players including Eddie Ockenden, who is competing at his fifth Olympics in Paris.  

Six athletes across all sports join Eddie in achieving this feat in Paris. They are basketballers Patrick Mills, Lauren Jackson and Joe Ingles, diver Melissa Wu and Edwina Tops-Alexander from equestrian.

“We are well placed to have success in Paris; we'll be well prepared, but it’s sport and sport is unknown,” Colin says.

“The quality of teams internationally has never been stronger. You must continually play at a high level to win the games you need to win.

“From a win-loss ratio, we had a difficult year in 2023. It was a real challenge but it’s only a blessing if you learn from it.

“You can take the negative view and throw everything out and start again, but we didn’t, we were two minutes away from playing in the final and we lost to Germany. We acknowledge we need to prepare and are better because of our mistakes.”

The Kookaburras come into the Games off a series of wins in Europe against powerhouse sides Argentina, Belgium and World Cup champion Germany. The result saw the side finish at the top of the FIH Pro-League. 

The team signalled its intent for the Olympics by coming from behind twice to defeat Germany in the Pro-League. This came on the back of a clean sweep of victories against India.

The lead into Paris is a stark contrast to the 2020 Games where the side played a limited number of international matches due to the Covid lockdown.

Unlike the Tokyo campaign, Batch based the team at its hub in Perth for final preparation before jetting into Paris where it plays its opening match against Argentina on Saturday, 27 July.

The Australian’s face defending gold medallist Belgium, Tokyo bronze medallist India, Argentina, New Zealand and Ireland in the pool rounds.

“We’ve had a good balance between the competition and travelling,” Colin says.

“Family is important to our players, we have eight parents in the team, so we stayed in Perth for our final preparation. We wanted the players to be comfortable about themselves without the necessary travel. 

“Our consistency in our ability to be resilient will set us apart from other teams. We’ve built a belief within the group. It doesn't matter what the score is, we always believe we can come back and perform well, if not win the game.”

The Kookaburras play their first match against Argentina at Yves du Manoir Stadium on on Saturday 27 July at 9.15pm (AEST).

Catriona Dixon