The Australia versus Argentina double header in Sydney this coming weekend has all the hallmarks of two classic hockey encounters.
In the opening match, Australia men (World Ranking: 2) hope to continue with winning ways after they defeated Spain 2-1 in their previous Pro League match. However, earlier matches saw the Kookaburras suffer a loss and a losing draw against Belgium and Netherlands respectively. Despite this, wins over Great Britain and Germany ensure Australia sit second in the table at the moment.
Their opponents, currently ranked fourth in the world, arrive in Sydney on the back of a dominant display against New Zealand, but have also shown weaknesses, particularly in their 4-1 loss at the hands of Belgium.
As the league table stands, Australia sit in second place, with Argentina in fourth but the Kookaburras have played one more game than their South American opponents. Head coach of Australia, Colin Batch will be looking for his team to show the same calm and control that saw them cross the finishing line against a combative Spanish side.
The women’s fixture pits another two in-form teams against each other. Australia and Argentina are ranked number three and four respectively in the world rankings. They are two sides with a point to prove after they have failed to win major events in last few seasons, so this encounter is likely to be a humdinger.
FIH spoke to two of the protagonists in Saturday’s match, goalkeeper Rachael Lynch whose performances in the Pro League have cemented her spot as one of the world’s top ‘keepers and Delfina Merino, Argentina’s mercurial striker, whose razor-sharp skills leave defenders trailing in her wake.
“For Las Leonas the FIH Pro League has been interesting and very intense,” says Merino. “We have played some games at home in front of our crowds and that has been great and now we are travelling to New Zealand, Australia and China.
“The whole team is really enjoying this adventure, playing one single, important game at a time, all around the world.”
For Argentina, the FIH Pro League has proved a happy hunting ground so far. They have won two, drawn two and lost only one match – a close encounter with the Netherlands that finished 2-1 to the world number one side. In addition, they have won the shoot-out bonus point in their two drawn matches. The results so far see them lying fourth in the Pro League table.
Australia have had an even better FIH Pro League campaign to date. They are currently in second place behind the Dutch and they have won four of their six games, including a 1-0 win over the Dutch. The blot on their landscape was a loss to the lowest ranked team, Belgium. But generally, the Hockeyroos are in red-hot form and enjoying the rarity of playing international matches in front of large, vociferous home crowds at stadiums across Australia.
Rachael Lynch is a player who is thriving in the intense FIH Pro League environment and she was pivotal to the win over the Dutch, saving time after time as the Oranje attempted to chase down a 1-0 deficit.
“Playing in front of home crowds is always a great advantage to us,” says Lynch, although Australia is so large that she adds that the squad has been on a plane for three-hour long flights for all their home games except one. “So it is not strictly a home and away league for us,” she adds wryly.
“But we have certainly embraced the challenge of the FIH Pro League so far and as a group we have had a lot of fun.”
And so the stage is set for two teams with a great hockey heritage to go head-to-head.
“Australia are a really strong team with fantastic skills,” says Merino. “And playing in front of their crowds will make it tricky for us but I trust in my team and we will fight to make sure we get another three points.”
When the two teams met in the Vitality Women’s Hockey World Cup, it was Lynch’s heroics in the shoot-out that sent Argentina home. If Saturday’s game goes to shoot-out, Lynch says she would revel in the chance to repeat the feat.
