Australia men's national field hockey team

(Redirected from Kookaburras (hockey))

The Australia men's national field hockey team (nicknamed the Kookaburras) is one of the nation's most successful top-level sporting teams. They are the only Australian team in any sport to receive medals at six straight Summer Olympic Games (1992–2012). The Kookaburras placed in the top four in every Olympics between 1980 and 2012 winning gold in 2004; in 2016, the Kookaburras placed sixth.[3] They won the Hockey World Cup in 1986, 2010 and 2014. They won the Hockey Champions Trophy 15 times, the most by any team. They also won the Pro League and World League twice each.

Australia
Nickname(s)The Kookaburras
AssociationHockey Australia
ConfederationOHF (Oceania)
Head CoachColin Batch
Assistant coach(es)Anthony Potter
ManagerMelissa Grey
CaptainAran Zalewski
Most capsEddie Ockenden (414)
Top scorerJamie Dwyer (244)
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Home
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Away
FIH ranking
Current 6 Decrease 2 (13 August 2024)[1]
Highest1 (2005, 2010–2011, 2014 – January 2017, December 2017 – July 2018, June 2019 – January 2020)
Lowest6 (2023, August 2024)
First international
New Zealand  5–4  Australia
(Palmerston North, New Zealand; 27 September 1922)[2]
Biggest win
Australia  36–0  Samoa
(Stratford, New Zealand; 24 October 2015)
Biggest defeat
Australia  1–12  India
(Melbourne, Australia; 17 August 1935)
Olympic Games
Appearances17 (first in 1956)
Best result1st (2004)
World Cup
Appearances14 (first in 1971)
Best result1st (1986, 2010, 2014)
Oceania Cup
Appearances12 (first in 1999)
Best result1st (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2023)

The Kookaburras' inability to win an Olympic gold medal despite their perennial competitiveness, led many in the Australian hockey community to speak of a "curse" afflicting the team,[4] finally broken in 2004 with the win in Athens. However, they failed to win Gold after that after losses in subsequent Olympics including a loss to Belgium in the Gold Medal Match of 2020 Tokyo Olympics - the Kookaburras instead won the silver medal.[5]

History

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Australia's first men's team competed in an international match in 1922.[6]

The first major competition won by the national team was the 1983 World Championships held in Karachi.[7]

Participations

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Australia's first men's team competed at the Olympics in field hockey at the 1956 Summer Olympics.[7]

Australia did not medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics[8] or the 1988 Summer Olympics.[9] At the 1992 Summer Olympics, Australia earned a silver medal, losing gold to Germany.[10] At the 1996 Summer Olympics, Australia finished third, earning a bronze medal.[11]

The team won their first Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Barry Dancer coached the side.[12]

Should Australia win the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics they will become the first national team in field hockey history to hold all four international titles available to them simultaneously. They would hold titles in the 2012 Olympics, 2010 World Cup, 2011 Champions Trophy and their continental championship (2011 Oceania Cup) at the same time. Along with those four titles Australia also holds the Commonwealth Games title from the 2010 championships.

Tournament records

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Olympic Games[13]
Year Host city Position
1908   London, United Kingdom
1920   Antwerp, Belgium
1928   Amsterdam, Netherlands
1932   Los Angeles, United States
1936   Berlin, Germany
1948   London, United Kingdom
1952   Helsinki, Finland
1956   Melbourne, Australia 5th
1960   Rome, Italy 6th
1964   Tokyo, Japan 3rd
1968   Mexico City, Mexico 2nd
1972   Munich, Germany 5th
1976   Montreal, Canada 2nd
1980   Moscow, Soviet Union Boycott
1984   Los Angeles, United States 4th
1988   Seoul, South Korea 4th
1992   Barcelona, Spain 2nd
1996   Atlanta, United States 3rd
2000   Sydney, Australia 3rd
2004   Athens, Greece 1st
2008   Beijing, China 3rd
2012   London, United Kingdom 3rd
2016   Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 6th
2020   Tokyo, Japan 2nd
2024   Paris, France 6th
FIH World Cup[14]
Year Host city Position
1971   Barcelona, Spain 8th
1973   Amsterdam, Netherlands Withdrew
1975   Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 5th
1978   Buenos Aires, Argentina 3rd
1982   Bombay, India 3rd
1986   London, England 1st
1990   Lahore, Pakistan 3rd
1994   Sydney, Australia 3rd
1998   Utrecht, Netherlands 4th
2002   Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2nd
2006   Mönchengladbach, Germany 2nd
2010   New Delhi, India 1st
2014   The Hague, Netherlands 1st
2018   Bhubaneswar, India 3rd
2023   Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, India 4th
2026   Wavre, Belgium
  Amsterdam, Netherlands
Q
FIH Champions Trophy[15]
Year Host city Position
1978   Lahore, Pakistan 2nd
1980   Karachi, Pakistan 3rd
1981 2nd
1982   Amstelveen, Netherlands 2nd
1983   Karachi, Pakistan 1st
1984 1st
1985   Perth, Australia 1st
1986   Lahore, Pakistan 2nd
1987   Amstelveen, Netherlands 3rd
1988   Lahore, Pakistan 3rd
1989   Berlin, West Germany 1st
1990   Melbourne, Australia 1st
1991   Berlin, Germany 4th
1992   Karachi, Pakistan 2nd
1993   Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1st
1994   Lahore, Pakistan 4th
1995   Berlin, Germany 2nd
1996   Madras, India 6th
1997   Adelaide, Australia 2nd
1998   Lahore, Pakistan 3rd
1999   Brisbane, Australia 1st
2000   Amstelveen, Netherlands 5th
2001   Rotterdam, Netherlands 2nd
2002   Cologne, Germany 5th
2003   Amstelveen, Netherlands 2nd
2004   Lahore, Pakistan Withdrew[16]
2005   Chennai, India 1st
2006   Terrassa, Spain 4th
2007   Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2nd
2008   Rotterdam, Netherlands 1st
2009   Melbourne, Australia 1st
2010   Mönchengladbach, Germany 1st
2011   Auckland, New Zealand 1st
2012   Melbourne, Australia 1st
2014   Bhubaneswar, India 3rd
2016   London, United Kingdom 1st
2018   Breda, Netherlands 1st
FIH World League[13]
Year Round Host city Position
2012–13 Semifinal   Rotterdam, Netherlands 2nd
Final   New Delhi, India 4th
2014–15 Semifinal   Antwerp, Belgium 1st
Final   Raipur, India 1st
2016–17 Semifinal   Johannesburg, South Africa 3rd
Final   Bhubaneswar, India 1st
FIH Pro League[17]
Year Season Position
2019 Season One 1st
2020–21 Season Two 2nd
2021–22 Season Three Withdrew
2022–23 Season Four 7th
2023–24 Season Five 1st
2024–25 Season Six Q
Commonwealth Games[13]
Year Host city Position
1998   Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1st
2002   Manchester, England 1st
2006   Melbourne, Australia 1st
2010   New Delhi, India 1st
2014   Glasgow, Scotland 1st
2018   Gold Coast, Australia 1st
2022   Birmingham, England 1st
Oceania Cup[18]
Year Host city Position
1999   Brisbane, Australia 1st
2001   Melbourne, Australia 1st
2003   Christchurch and Wellington, New Zealand 1st
2005   Suva, Fiji 1st
2007   Buderim, Australia 1st
2009   Invercargill, New Zealand 1st
2011   Hobart, Australia 1st
2013   Stratford, New Zealand 1st
2015 1st
2017   Sydney, Australia 1st
2019   Rockhampton, Australia 1st
2023   Whangārei, New Zealand 1st
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup[19]
Year Host city Position
1983   Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1st
1985–1991 Did Not Compete
1994   Penang, Malaysia 3rd
1995   Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1996   Ipoh, Malaysia 2nd
1998 1st
1999   Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2000
2001 3rd
2003
2004 1st
2005 1st
2006 2nd
2007   Ipoh, Malaysia 1st
2008
2009
2010 3rd
2011 1st
2012
2013 1st
2014 1st
2015 2nd
2016 1st
2017 2nd
2018 1st
2019–Present Did Not Compete

Team

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Current squad

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The following 16 players were named in Kookaburras squad for the XXXIII Olympic Games in Paris.[20]

Head coach: Colin Batch

All caps and goals current as of 12 June 2024, following the match against Great Britain.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps GoalsClub
30 GK Andrew Charter (1987-03-30) 30 March 1987 (age 37) 245 0   Canberra Chill

3 DF Corey Weyer (1996-03-28) 28 March 1996 (age 28) 63 3   Brisbane Blaze
4 DF Jake Harvie (1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 26) 139 5   Perth Thundersticks
6 DF Matthew Dawson (1994-04-27) 27 April 1994 (age 30) 209 13   Amsterdam
10 DF Joshua Beltz (1995-04-24) 24 April 1995 (age 29) 119 5   Tassie Tigers
32 DF Jeremy Hayward (1993-03-03) 3 March 1993 (age 31) 227 120   Den Bosch

1 MF Lachlan Sharp (1997-07-02) 2 July 1997 (age 27) 101 20   NSW Pride
2 MF Thomas Craig (1995-09-03) 3 September 1995 (age 29) 136 45   Klein Zwitserland
11 MF Eddie Ockenden (1987-04-03) 3 April 1987 (age 37) 445 73   Tassie Tigers
12 MF Jacob Whetton (1991-06-15) 15 June 1991 (age 33) 277 80   Brisbane Blaze
17 MF Aran Zalewski (Captain) (1991-03-21) 21 March 1991 (age 33) 261 35   Perth Thundersticks
20 MF Ky Willott (2001-03-15) 15 March 2001 (age 23) 51 14   NSW Pride
22 MF Flynn Ogilvie (1993-09-17) 17 September 1993 (age 31) 169 29   NSW Pride

5 FW Thomas Wickham (1990-05-26) 26 May 1990 (age 34) 108 49   Perth Thundersticks
13 FW Blake Govers (1996-07-06) 6 July 1996 (age 28) 161 147   Dragons
29 FW Timothy Brand (1998-11-29) 29 November 1998 (age 25) 97 35   Klein Zwitserland

The remainder of the 2024 national squad is as follows:[21]

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Johan Durst (1991-03-18) 18 March 1991 (age 33) 38 0   HC Melbourne 2024 Summer Olympics RESERVE
GK Ashleigh Thomas (1995-07-21) 21 July 1995 (age 29) 5 0   NSW Pride v.   India; 7 April 2024

DF James Collins (2000-02-25) 25 February 2000 (age 24) 27 0   Perth Thundersticks v.   India; 12 April 2024
DF Timothy Howard (1996-06-23) 23 June 1996 (age 28) 137 3   Brisbane Blaze 2024 Summer Olympics RESERVE

MF Jayden Atkinson (2001-07-09) 9 July 2001 (age 23) 18 0   Brisbane Blaze v.   India; 13 April 2024
MF Daniel Beale (1993-02-12) 12 February 1993 (age 31) 241 34   Brisbane Blaze v.   Germany; 11 June 2024
MF Craig Marais (2002-05-28) 28 May 2002 (age 22) 17 1   HC Melbourne v.   India; 13 April 2024

FW Jacob Anderson (1997-03-22) 22 March 1997 (age 27) 69 23   Brisbane Blaze v.   India; 13 April 2024
FW Nathan Ephraums (1999-06-09) 9 June 1999 (age 25) 71 33   HC Melbourne 2024 Summer Olympics RESERVE
FW Joel Rintala (1996-07-24) 24 July 1996 (age 28) 6 8   Brisbane Blaze v.   India; 10 April 2024
FW Jack Welch (1997-10-26) 26 October 1997 (age 27) 39 15   Tassie Tigers v.   Great Britain; 12 June 2024

Recent call-ups

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The following players have received call-ups to the national team in the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
FW Hayden Beltz (1997-09-08) 8 September 1997 (age 27) 11 0   Tassie Tigers v.   Germany; 11 June 2024

Notable players

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Results and fixtures

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The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

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11 February 2024 India Leg Spain   3–4   Australia Bhubaneswar, India
17:30 Miralles   29'
N. Álvarez   36'
Cabré-Verdiell   37'
Report Sharp   8'52'
Whetton   19'
Govers   25'
Stadium: Kalinga Hockey Stadium
13 February 2024 India Leg Australia   5–0   Ireland Bhubaneswar, India
17:30 Craig   17'
Hayward   22'
Willott   25'57'
Ephraums   43'
Report Stadium: Kalinga Hockey Stadium
15 February 2024 India Leg India   4–6   Australia Bhubaneswar, India
19:30 Harmanpreet   12'20'
Sukhjeet   18'
Mandeep   29'
Report Govers   2'2'
Zalewski   40'
Sharp   52'
Anderson   55'
Welch   58'
Stadium: Kalinga Hockey Stadium
16 February 2024 India Leg Netherlands   4–5   Australia Bhubaneswar, India
17:30 Telgenkamp   6'
Bijen   12'22'
Janssen   56'
Report Govers   33'53'
Hayward   40'48'
Brand   60'
Stadium: Kalinga Hockey Stadium
21 February 2024 India Leg Spain   1–4   Australia Rourkela, India
17:30 Amat   2' Report Ogilvie   4'
Ephraums   8'
Hayward   25'
Brand   44'
Stadium: Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium
22 February 2024 India Leg Ireland   1–4   Australia Rourkela, India
17:30 O'Donoghue   44' Report Govers   33'52'
Ephraums   40'
Welch   56'
Stadium: Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium
24 February 2024 India Leg India   2–2
(0–3 p)
  Australia Rourkela, India
19:30 Report Stadium: Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium
6 April 2024 Match 1 Australia   5–1   India Perth, Australia
16:40 Report Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium
7 April 2024 Match 2 Australia   4–2   India Perth, Australia
16:40 Report Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium
10 April 2024 Match 3 Australia   2–1   India Perth, Australia
17:40 Report Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium
12 April 2024 Match 4 Australia   3–1   India Perth, Australia
17:40 Report Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium
13 April 2024 Match 5 Australia   3–2   India Perth, Australia
16:40 Report Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium
29 May 2024 Belgium Leg Belgium   5–1   Australia Antwerp, Belgium
19:00 Report Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein
30 May 2024 Belgium Leg Australia   1–2   Argentina Antwerp, Belgium
16:30 Report Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein
1 June 2024 Belgium Leg Argentina   3–4   Australia Antwerp, Belgium
18:30 Report Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein
2 June 2024 Belgium Leg Belgium   4–4
(3–2 p)
  Australia Antwerp, Belgium
16:15 Report Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein
9 June 2024 Great Britain Leg Australia   2–2
(3–4 p)
  Germany London, England
17:15 Report Stadium: Lee Valley Hockey Stadium
27 July 2024 Pool B Australia   1–0   Argentina Paris, France
13:15 Govers   30+' Report Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir
29 July 2024 Pool B Ireland   1–2   Australia Paris, France
10:00 Cole   25' Report Weyer   9'
Govers   30'
Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir
30 July 2024 Pool B Australia   2–6   Belgium Paris, France
19:45 Sharp   28'
Govers   44'
Report Hendrickx   7'
Boon   15'30'57'
Van Aubel   35'
Kina   38'
Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir
1 August 2024 Pool B New Zealand   0–5   Australia Paris, France
10:30 Report Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir
2 August 2024 Pool B Australia   2–3   India Paris, France
13:15 Report Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir
4 August 2024 Pool B Netherlands   2–0   Australia Paris, France
17:30 Telgenkamp   35'
Van Dam   52'
Report Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir

2025

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14 June 2025 Belgium Leg Australia   v   India Antwerp, Belgium
10:30 Report Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein Antwerp
15 June 2025 Belgium Leg India   v   Australia Antwerp, Belgium
10:30 Report Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein Antwerp
24 June 2025 Germany Leg Germany   v   Australia Berlin, Germany
19:30 Report Stadium: Ernst Reuter Sportfeld
25 June 2025 Germany Leg Germany   v   Australia Berlin, Germany
19:30 Report Stadium: Ernst Reuter Sportfeld

Family

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Barry Dancer/Brent Dancer and Ric Charlesworth/Jonathan Charlesworth are two pairs of father as coach and son as player while both were affiliated with the national team in those positions.[12][22]

Recognition

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References

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General sources

  1. ^ "FIH Outdoor World Hockey Rankings". FIH. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  2. ^ "History of Hockey in Australia". Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  3. ^ ABC (15 August 2016). "Rio 2016: Australia's Kookaburras and Sharks knocked out of men's hockey and water polo". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Kookaburras ready to toss the monkey". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 August 2004. Archived from the original on 27 July 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  5. ^ "Wagga Wagga's Olympic debutant Dylan Martin helps Kookaburras win hockey silver medal - ABC News". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 August 2021.
  6. ^ Epstein, Jackie (21 October 2009). "Dwyer breaks free of Holland binds – Australia always comes first". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Australia. p. 76. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  7. ^ a b Department of Sport, Recreation and Tourism; Australian Sport Commission (1985). Australian Sport, a profile. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Publish Service. pp. 177–178. ISBN 0644036672.
  8. ^ Dorling Kindersley Limited. (1999). The Olympic Games. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Dorling Kindersley. p. 320. ISBN 1864660635. OCLC 57337092.
  9. ^ Dorling Kindersley Limited. (1999). The Olympic Games. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Dorling Kindersley. p. 327. ISBN 1864660635. OCLC 57337092.
  10. ^ Dorling Kindersley Limited. (1999). The Olympic Games. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Dorling Kindersley. p. 335. ISBN 1864660635. OCLC 57337092.
  11. ^ Dorling Kindersley Limited. (1999). The Olympic Games. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Dorling Kindersley. p. 343. ISBN 1864660635. OCLC 57337092.
  12. ^ a b Petrie, Andrea (18 October 2009). "Sons a chip off the old stick – HOCKEY". The Sunday Age. Melbourne, Australia. p. 19. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  13. ^ a b c "Fédération Internationale de Hockey | Official Website". International Hockey Federation.
  14. ^ "World Cup – FIH". International Hockey Federation.
  15. ^ "Champions Trophy". FIH.
  16. ^ "Australia pull out of Champions Trophy". 12 October 2004.
  17. ^ "FIH confirms Spain men and Belgium women join Hockey Pro League". FIH.
  18. ^ "Oceania Cup". Hockey Australia. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  19. ^ "Other". FIH.
  20. ^ "2024 Paris Olympic Games Squad". hockey.org.au. Hockey Australia. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Batch names strong 2024 Kookaburras squad ahead of Olympic year". hockey.org.au. International Hockey Federation. 6 December 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  22. ^ Department of Sport, Recreation and Tourism; Australian Sport Commission (1985). Australian Sport, a profile. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Publish Service. p. 116. ISBN 0644036672.
  23. ^ a b c "Australian Sports Awards". Confederation of Australian Sport. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  24. ^ "Rabbitohs, Fearnley, Fox win top ASPAS". Australian Sports Commission News, 11 February 2015. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.

Further reading

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