It’s all over for the Australians in the men’s hockey. The Kookaburras have lost to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals in a bitterly disappointing ending to a fairly lacklustre tournament.
Conceding 49 seconds into the match, it was always going to be hard for the Kookaburras to come back from there.
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They have been down on form and confidence in the past few games, and only just managed to scrape through to the quarter-finals. Considering the tournament they’ve had, it was entirely foreseeable that the Kookaburras would go out at this stage. They just didn’t look like they had the right stuff from the very first time they took to the pitch.
One of the best sides in the tournament, the Netherlands showed why they were one of the highest-rated teams coming into the tournament, making the number one ranked side in world hockey look second rate.
It was a dominating performance from start (quite literally) to finish, and they are now through to the semi-finals. The Australians will have to go back and ponder what could have been.
Once again, they lacked the punch in attack that has made them Champions Trophy holders.
Despite four goals on the board, it was actually the Dutch defence that won them the game and dominated the contest. Their orange wall of defence refused to give the Kookaburras an inch throughout the entire game.
Even when giving up a pair of penalty corners, the Netherlands defused it with ease and swamped the Australian offence.
With the few chances they had, Australia lacked that execution and final delivery that the Dutch were delivering up the other end.
It simply hasn’t been there for the Kookaburras during this Olympics. They entered the tournament as one of the favourites, but a few controversies in the build-up to the Games and some setbacks early, it wasn’t going to be.
What did you make of Australia’s men’s hockey team going out early Roarers?
Australia – 0
Netherlands – 4
Bakker 1′
De Voogd 28′
Verga 32′
Van Der Weerden 49′
commonwombat
Guest
The entire AUS Hockey set-up is due for a complete clean-out of the stables. Whilst there are circumstances specific to each team; be they too many old hands going one cycle too long (mens); there are too many common threads. Namely: - gross indiscipline. Too many players from either team spending vital periods in the sin-bin - chronic inefficiency both in general play but especially in attack & set pieces. You may have all the flair in the world but it doesn't count for 3 parts of "diddly squat" if you cannot put the ball in the back of the net. Quite simply, you cannot win games if you cannot score. - perennially leaky defences; a perennial issue for the women The Kookaburras seem to always go in as favourites to every Olympics for at least the past 32 years but have a strike rate of 1 in 8. This is the fourth Olympics post Sydney where the Hockeyroos have missed the medal rounds. Why ... because they are both serially inefficient when under pressure. If you cannot maintain a reasonable strike-rate from set pieces then you cannot win If the Aust Sports Commission do NOT demand a wholesale overhaul of Aus Hockey, then they are being appalingly remiss. Indeed, they should make certain demands a pre-requisite for funding to be retained for another Olympic cycle. Quite simply, we cannot afford to keep appointing coaches from inside the AUS system. Oh, some will claim "you do not understand the culture !!". Maybe so but the prevailing culture. especially on the women's side for the past 16 years is that of failure !! Even on the men's side, they would trade in every Champions Trophy for every missed bronze medal. Therefore, I'd be putting as large a carrot as possible in front of a coach from NED or GER; particularly for the women's team. In fact, the only AUS coach that I would consider would be Mark Hager who has coached the NZL women. That team is at least efficient !!
craig swanson
Guest
You call winning the Champions Trophy peaking?. They have won this many times in the past and it has not affected their performances. I believe the Kookaburras had a poor Olympics because time catches up with all of us plus weight of expectation. The Kookas have medalled in every Olympics since Barcelona 92. Everyone just expects them to keep on doing it. That is tremendous pressure. With the retirement of several of our greats we should now see the next gen Kookaburras coming thru over the next 12 months.
Brendon
Guest
Yet another Australian team peaking before the games.