Path To Gold Neither Long Or Winding
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday July 27, 2002
The Kookaburras take their next small step on the road to Athens on Saturday and they will take it with captain Paul Gaudoin.
The skipper had been in doubt midweek with a neck strain but, after intensive physiotherapy, was ruled fit to take the field for the tournament opener against New Zealand.
In many sports notably rugby 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 champions Germany en route to Manchester.
``Six goals against any German team is awesome, so we feel in form," midfield general Brent Livermore said.
In contrast, New Zealand are ranked ninth but the Kookaburras remain cautious. The last time they met, in the three-match Manning Cup in May last year, New Zealand managed a draw in between two losses.
``But the Commonwealth Games can be a difficult tournament and you have to be careful in the first match," Livermore said. ``We have played against New Zealand a lot and they know the way we play and it is always a tough, hard match."
The New Zealand line-up will feature a father-son combination in Simon Towns and his father Kevin, the coach.
``The players accept it with no questions," said Towns jnr. ``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, like several teammates, has had a recent stint in Australia's national league and said the opening pool match 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 remaining pool matches are against South Africa (Sunday, 10pm Sydney time) then Barbados (Monday, 1am Tuesday Sydney time).
Australia are expected to top the pool, with New Zealand and South Africa vying for second.
From the other side of the draw, England and Pakistan are expected to advance to the semi-finals. The inconsistent Pakistanis appear the greatest threat to the Kookaburras' quest to defend their gold medal.
They can be as bad as they are brilliant, and they have an enormous weapon in the world's greatest penalty corner taker, Sohail Abbas. He worked his magic to snatch a draw when Pakistan met Australia in a practice match on Wednesday.
© 2002 Sydney Morning Herald