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Kookaburras scrape home in Olympics hockey opener

The Kookaburras did not do as well as Australia had hoped. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Roar Pro
6th August, 2016
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The Kookaburras have opened their Rio Olympics campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over New Zealand after a controversial referral denied the Kiwis a draw.

Despite dominating possession and territory, Australia’s lack of execution ensured for a thrilling ending as the Blacksticks went in search of an equaliser.

And they thought they had found one before Australia successfully challenged the umpire’s call to break Kiwi hearts. Moments before the Blacksticks’ Hayden Phillips had launched a tomahawk shot at goal with Hugo Inglis getting the vital deflection just past Australian goalkeeper Andrew Charter.

Related:
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However, Australia opted to take a gamble on a referral and after a lengthy consideration, the video umpire deemed Phillips’ ball in as dangerous.

With New Zealand’s momentum stalled, their rivals were able to safely play out the game.

Australia had started the match with their usual precision as they kept the ball out of New Zealand’s hands and camped in their opposition’s half.

It wasn’t until Jacob Whetton’s introduction, however, that the Australians picked up their intensity and they were soon rewarded with an opening goal midway through the first quarter.

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It was a familiar face in Chris Ciriello who received the ball off a well-worked penalty corner routine before burying it in the bottom right-hand corner. Australia should have had more but New Zealand’s excellent scrambling made it difficult for the likes of Jamie Dwyer and Whetton to get that final shot away.

The second quarter continued in much the same vain and the Aussies were able to double their lead through Matt Gohdes, again midway through the term.

It’s unfortunate that hockey does not count assists as Dwyer could have certainly chalked this up as one as he stole the ball from New Zealand’s Arun Panchia before displaying excellent skills on the baseline and centring into Gohdes’ grateful stick.

The Blacksticks certainly started the second half with a bang as they caught the Australian defence napping with a clever overhead in the 31st minute. Australia soon settled but New Zealand began to look more dangerous as they pushed for an equaliser.

The Kookaburras began to panic in the fourth term and their play became sloppy as green cards were handed out to Fergus Kavanagh and Gohdes. New Zealand looked to have punished Australia’s ill-discipline but Kookaburras captain Mark Knowles rolled the dice and was rewarded with his successful challenge.

A frustrating start for the Blacksticks but they will be buoyed by their ability to push the gold medal favourites all the way.

The Kookaburras, on the other hand, will be breathing a huge sigh of relief but can be pleased with their slick ball movement and retention of possession. Coach Graham Reid will no doubt be looking for some smarter shooting in future to bury teams earlier.

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The Kookaburras now face the No.11 ranked Spain at 9:30am (AEST) on Monday. They are coming off a huge 7-0 win over minnows Brazil.

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