Australia women's national field hockey team

Australia
Australia
Nickname Hockeyroos
Association Hockey Australia
Confederation OHF (Oceania)
Coach Adam Commens
Assistant coach Jason Duff
Manager Stephen Davies
Captain Madonna Blyth
FIH ranking 3 Decrease
First kit
Second kit
Australia women's national field hockey team
Medal record
Olympic Games
1988 Seoul Team
2000 Sydney Team
2004 Athens Team
World Cup
1994 Dublin
1998 Utrecht
1990 Sydney
2006 Madrid
2010 The Hague
1983 Kuala Lumpur

The Australia women's national field hockey team (nicknamed the Hockeyroos) are Australia's national women's field hockey team. As of September 2015, they are ranked 2nd in the world.[1]

Having played their first game in 1914, and their first Olympic game in 1980 they are one of Australia's most successful sporting teams, boasting three Olympic Gold Medals from the past six Games as well as winning two World Cups (1994, 1998) and four Commonwealth Games Gold Medals (1998, 2006, 2010, 2014). The Hockeyroos have been crowned Australia's Team of the Year five times and were unanimously awarded Best Australian Team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. A notable part of the Hockeyroos colourful history has involved Ric Charlesworth. Charlesworth was at the helm of the Hockeyroos from 1993 to 2000, where his reign as coach saw the team win the 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999 Champions Trophies, 1994 and 1998 World Cups and the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Charlesworth took the Hockeyroos to the Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games where the team won back-to-back gold medals. Since 2011 the team has been coached by Adam Commens.

Given the extent of the Hockeyroos success, the team has consistently remained at the top of the world hockey rankings. From the late 1980s until 2000, the Australian team was ranked at number 1 in the world. Only once during this period, did the Hockeyroos fail to win a tournament, when they finished second.

Great Hockeyroos

Rechelle Hawkes

As part of the Olympic team in 1988, 1992, 1996, 1999 and 2000, Rechelle Hawkes is one of the most revered Hockeyroos of all time. Such is her status in international hockey that she is among the most successful female players in the history of the sport. Hawkes is the only female hockey player to win three Olympic gold medals at three separate games. After 279 international matches, Hawkes retired following the Sydney Olympic Games where the Hockeyroos again won gold. In recognition of her contribution to Australian sport, Rechelle was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2002.

Alyson Annan

Alyson Annan is also one of more prominent figures in the history of the Hockeyroos. Annan debuted in the Australian side at the age of 18 and became renowned for her prowess in front of goal, scoring 166 goals during her career. She was widely regarded as the sharpest shooter in international women's hockey during the 1990s which was acknowledged when she won the World Hockey Player of the Year in 1999. Annan represented Australia 228 times, and was part of the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Gold Medal winning teams. Annan remains the Hockeyroos highest goal scorer.

Nikki Hudson

As a highly recognised Hockeyroo, Nikki Hudson has become one of the most identifiable Australian athletes. Retiring in 2009, the striker has already become the highest capped player in the history of the Hockeyroos, finishing on 303 games (the only Hockeyroo to play over 300 games). Since her debut in 1993 at the age of 17, Hudson had scored 99 goals in international competition. In 2008, she played in her third successive Olympic Games.

Australia vs Netherlands, Sydney 2000 olympics.

The Hockeyroos today

The Hockeyroos were extremely unlucky not to have advanced to the semifinals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics after finishing the rounds on 10 points, the same as China to finish second on the pool table. However, a slightly better goal difference to China saw them advance instead of Australia – this was the first time a team had finished on 10 points but not advance to the finals at an Olympic Games.

Following this a number of players retired, however a core group of experienced players such as captain Madonna Blyth, Casey Eastham and Kobie McGurk still remain, with these players quickly becoming leaders of what is now quite a young team. After finishing fifth at the 2010 World Cup the Hockeyroos bounced back a few weeks later at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, defeating New Zealand in the final to win their third gold medal. Following this tournament coach Frank Murray announced his retirement. Murray was replaced by former Kookaburra Adam Commens in November 2010. They recently won the inaugural International Super Series in Perth, playing against India and Malaysia in a modified 9-a-side format.

Records

Hockeyroos international games
Hockeyroos international goals

Tournament records

Olympic Games

Year Location Position
1980 Soviet Union Moscow Did not compete
1984 United States Los Angeles 4th
1988 South Korea Seoul 1st
1992 Spain Barcelona 5th
1996 United States Atlanta 1st
2000 Australia Sydney 1st
2004 Greece Athens 5th
2008 People's Republic of China Beijing 5th
2012 United Kingdom London 5th
2016 Brazil Rio de Janeiro 6th

World Cup

Year Location Position
1974 France Mandelieu Did not compete
1976 West Germany Berlin
1978 Spain Madrid
1981 Argentina Buenos Aires 4th
1983 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 3rd
1986 Netherlands Amstelveen 6th
1990 Australia Sydney 2nd
1994 Ireland Dublin 1st
1998 Netherlands Utrecht 1st
2002 Australia Perth 4th
2006 Spain Madrid 2nd
2010 Argentina Rosario 5th
2014 Netherlands The Hague 2nd

World League

Silver

Commonwealth Games

Gold

Bronze

Champions Trophy

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Oceania Cup

Gold

Silver

Current roster

The following is the Australia roster in the women's field hockey tournament of the 2016 Summer Olympics.[2]

Head coach: Adam Commens

  1. Gabrielle Nance
  2. Brooke Peris
  3. Casey Sablowski
  4. Kirstin Dwyer
  5. Jodie Kenny
  6. Karri McMahon
  7. Madonna Blyth (C)
  8. Edwina Bone
  9. Georgina Morgan
  10. Jane Claxton
  11. Georgie Parker
  12. Kathryn Slattery
  13. Mariah Williams
  14. Emily Smith
  15. Rachael Lynch (GK)
  16. Grace Stewart


Reserves:

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.fih.ch/en/fih/events/worldranking
  2. ↑ MacNeil, Holly (4 July 2016). "Fresh faced women's hockey Team to vie for Rio gold". Hockey Australia. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
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