HOCKEY: The Hockeyroos have returned from a few days away from the Village reinvigorated and ready to get back into business having spent the last three nights in the town of Kent, approximately one hour from the village.
HOCKEY: The Hockeyroos have returned from a few days away from the Village reinvigorated and ready to get back into business having spent the last three nights in the town of Kent, approximately one hour from the village.
After a heavy training load over the last several weeks since team selection, culminating with two practice matches against Great Britain and the Netherlands last week, coach Adam Commens said he felt it was a good idea for the team to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Olympic Village for a few days and recharge.
“The village is great but it can be quite overwhelming. We planned to give the team a few days of no hockey just to let them relax before we really get back into it. They have been training hard and needed a bit of time off. We had a few meetings and one weights session, but other than that they were free to do what they wanted and I think we will see the benefits of this throughout the tournament,” said Commens.
They weren’t given much time to readjust to the village Wednesday, jumping straight back into training, undertaking a gruelling session in the heat of Riverbank Arena.
This was their final session before their practice match on Thursday against South Korea.
The team trained well, with Ashleigh Nelson looking very dangerous in front of the goals.
There was a slight hiccup when defender Kobie McGurk left the field with a sore ankle, however it was confirmed her injury was minor and she will play in the practice match against Korea.
“Kobie is a really important to our team and brings a heap of experienced being one of only a few players who competed in Beijing. Fortunately her injury was minor and she could have actually come back on to complete the session. She will play against Korea.”
In men’s hockey news, the Kookaburras have also taken some time away from the village to unwind before returning on Thursday. They too will undertake a final practice match before the Games and it will be one to watch, taking on their biggest rivals and threat to their gold medal chances, Germany, on Friday.
Shaun Anderson
Olympics.com.au