In a game full of many highlights, three pieces of brilliance stood out in the second match of the Kookaburras against Netherlands four-test series that saw Australia get over the line again (5-4). While the game ended with the same score line as in the first match it was a very different seventy minutes with the Kookaburras controlling the first half, the Dutch the second.
However, what stood out to the strong crowd were three pieces of hockey magic from Australia's Jamie Dwyer and Matt Naylor and the Netherlands' Rob Reckers.
The first, from Reckers, came in the 22nd minute when he received the ball deep in the circle but was outnumbered two to one. Running away from his goal he faked a movement left before turning right in one fluent movement that resulted in a wonderful reverse stick that slammed into the back of the net.
It was an important goal for the Dutch who were down 2-0 at the time after Luke Doerner had drag flicked a couple of bullets past the Dutch keeper, in the second and 17th minutes.
Des Abbott made the score 3-1 close to half time when he pounced on a keeper deflection, from a penalty corner, to score his first international goal.
After the break it was Jamie Dwyer's turn to entertain the crowd, in the same pocket of the field that Reckers had. Taking the ball into the circle Dwyer ran at a defender, spun 360 degrees with the ball still on the end of his stick, coming out of the revolution travelling at speed down the left of the circle where he reversed a ball past a keeper who, like the crowd, must have been blinded by the brilliance.
The Dutch hit back soon after though with two goals in four minutes before Matt Naylor showed some class of his own, travelling at full speed across the face of goal he didn't break stride as he hit the ball millimetres inside the top right of the circle, his strike having too much heat on it for the Dutch keeper to get anywhere near it.
Up 5-3, the Kookaburras began to look tired, turning the ball over too easily. Seeing their opportunity, the Netherlands started gaining more momentum and scored another goal in the 57th minute to reduce the margin to one.
Both sides had their chances to score late in the match, particularly the Dutch who, five minutes from time, earnt a penalty corner that they were close to converting. A great save from local boy Nathan Burgers, in his first international, though kept the scores the same, the Kookaburras winning 5-4.
"We struggled in the last half tonight," said national coach Barry Dancer.
"The last 15 minutes in particular were tough which was probably due to a combination of fitness and limited preparation, but also some inexperience."
"That's a real positive to come out of this game though. To give those younger players some exposure to that sort of pressure was very good."
"Our first half was very good but then in the second we just turned it over too many times and gave them far too many opportunities. However, we've got two good results here so we'll go to Brisbane now where we'll expect the Dutch to really come out firing."
Australia 5 Netherlands 4(Half time 3-1)
Australia - Luke Doerner 2m/17m PC, Desmond Abbott 28m PC, Jamie Dwyer 41m FG, Matt Naylor 53m FG; Netherlands - Rob Reckers 22m/44m FG, Ronald Weusthof 48m/57m PC.
Source: Hockey Australia
