Kookaburra Skipper Ruled Fit For Opener
The Age
Saturday July 27, 2002
Manchester
The Kookaburras today take their next, small step on the road towards Athens - and they will take it with captain Paul Gaudoin.
The skipper had been in doubt with a neck strain but, after intensive physiotherapy, he was ruled fit to take the field for Australia's tournament opener against New Zealand.
In many sports - notably rugby union and netball - a trans-Tasman clash is to be savoured. Less so men's hockey.
The Kookaburras are ranked second in the world and are playing even better, having thumped world champion Germany en route to Manchester.
The Kiwis, by contrast, are ranked ninth.
That said, the Kookaburras are cautious.
The last time the teams met - in the three-match Manning Cup in Melbourne in May last year - New Zealand managed a draw in between two losses.
"Six goals against any German team is awesome, so we feel in form," Australian midfield general Brent Livermore said.
"But the Commonwealth Games can be a difficult tournament and you have to be careful in the first match. We have played against New Zealand a lot and they know the way we play and it is always a tough, hard match."
The Kiwi line-up features father-son combination Kevin and Simon Towns.
"The players accept it with no questions," Towns said of having his father as coach.
"We make an effort to have a clear distinction. He doesn't get called dad around hockey - he's KT on tour and he's dad when we go out for a meal."
Towns - who, like several teammates, has had recent stints in Australia's national league - said the opening pool match against the Kookaburras was a huge challenge.``It is absolutely our hardest game," he said.
"It's old rivalries, fierce rivalries. We usually push them pretty hard."
Following the New Zealand clash, the Kookaburras will play South Africa tomorrow, then Barbados on Monday to complete the pool matches. They are expected to top the pool, with New Zealand and South Africa vying for second spot.
England and Pakistan are tipped to reach the semi-finals from the other side of the draw.
The inconsistent Pakistanis appear the greater threat to the Kookaburras' quest to defend the gold medal.
© 2002 The Age