Australia men (FIH World Ranking:2) have one more fixture in the Oceania region before they head off on their travels to Europe and the Americas.
With the team currently sitting in second place in the FIH Pro League and the prospect of a mouth-watering clash with continental rivals New Zealand (WR:8) to look forward to (Thursday 25 April), the Kookaburras are in good spirits as they prepare for the run-in towards the FIH Pro League Grand Finals in June.
“The home leg of the FIH Pro League has been an overall great experience for us,” says goalkeeper Tyler Lovell. “The venues, the crowds and the opposition have all been world class. We started slower than we would have liked (Australia drew with Netherlands (WR:4 in their opening game, then lost on shoot-out; they then lost 4-1 to the world number one side Belgium) in terms of results but we have had the opportunity to maintain a high quality training environment while giving valuable game time to our younger athletes.”
Along with fellow goalkeeper Andrew Charter, Lovell is a veteran of the Kookaburra’s squad, with more than 130 caps. However, like all the players in the FIH Pro League, he is still getting used to the demands of a new format. “Traditionally we have been very good at building into a tournament and peaking towards the back end. So to have one-off games has been challenging and something we have been working on to do better.”
Taking a different approach has included fast tracking some areas of preparation. As Lovell says, in the past, if the squad had areas to develop they would have long blocks of time between tournaments to work on specific areas. Now, with shorter intervals between competitive matches, these training blocks have been shorter and hence more intensive and focused.
When it comes to the next two months, Australia should have little problem when it comes to coping with the challenges of travelling. It is something the squad has become very used to over the years. That said, a fixture against Argentina (WR:4) in the South American country’s capital Buenos Aires is new territory and a challenge Lovell and his team mates are looking forward to. “We haven’t played in Argentina before and we know they are a very passionate country when it comes to sport and they love their hockey. We are really looking forward to playing in front of the Argentina supporters.
“It will be important that we adjust to the time zone and acclimatise quickly. That is vital for a good performance.”
Australia face New Zealand in Auckland on Thursday 25 April before flying to Argentina for a clash with the Olympic champions on 4 May. They then embark on the European leg of their Pro League campaign in June.
