Rachael Lynch is enjoying a fantastic start to the FIH Pro League season. The multi-capped Australian goalkeeper (currently 198 caps) was voted Player of the Match as her team inflicted a 1-0 defeat on the Netherlands. She was also highly credited for the shoot-out win over Germany in the Hockeyroos' most recent match.
A surprise defeat at the hands of Belgium has been the only hiccough for Paul Gaudoin’s team as they also beat China in an entertaining 4-3 match.
We caught up with Lynch, who also works as a nurse in an emergency ward, ahead of her side’s home encounter with Great Britain on 16 February.
Speaking about her early thoughts the FIH Pro League, the ‘keeper says: “This is a fantastic format and a great way to showcase hockey. Playing in home cities makes it much more special for the players.”
Certainly the crowds of sport-loving spectators have been flocking to the grounds at Melbourne and Hobart, and equally large numbers are expected in Perth for the Great Britain encounter.
Australia’s schedule means that the Hockeyroos have endured two weekends of back-to-back hockey. In the first of these they recorded a win over the Netherlands but looked tired for their match against Belgium 24 hours later. A double header against China and then Germany saw a win and a draw [with a subsequent victory in the shoot-out], but Lynch says dealing with back-back matches is tricky but they are finding ways to manage the fatigue.
The new competition is changing the way players prepare for matches and, says Lynch, it is very different for her as a goalkeeper. “I always prepare for each game by scouting the opposition but now I must prepare for one on ones [shoot-outs] in every game. Normally that situation would arise just in finals but in the Pro League the thorough home work is required for each match regardless.”
While the current round of matches are billed as home matches for the Hockeyroos, the notion of a “home” fixture is a misleading one for a country as large as Australia. To reach as many fans as possible, home matches are played at venues across the country. As Lynch says: “Travel for us means we are spending a lot of time away from our actual homes. Most of our home games are not in Perth [the headquarters of Hockey Australia] so they are not actually ‘at home’.”
That said, Lynch has been thrilled by the reception the team has received across the country. “Melbourne is the home of sport so it was a great place for us to kick off our campaign. Hobart is much smaller but still a very supportive crowd. Playing alongside the boys [the Kookaburras] has been great for us and also the spectators.
“Playing in Melbourne was incredible. It is my home city and being able to beat the Dutch in front of 5,500 fans was so amazing. It has been almost 10 years since we have beaten them so I was super excited. I got plenty of touches in the game so I was proud to have a big involvement in the win. “We will definitely take a lot of confidence out of that. We have been very close since the World Cup and to beat them without many of our key players was a very positive sign for our group.”
On the forthcoming fixture against the world number two side, Lynch says she is pleased that Great Britain [and the other European teams] will get to experience the circumstances that Australia face in the lead-up to most competitions. – long flights, jet lag, big time difference and a complete change in climate.
And with a mischievous grin, she adds: “Hopefully Perth will turn on some hot weather as we are very used to training in 30+ degrees every day.”
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