Kookaburras Keen To Make It Gold
The Sunday Age
Sunday August 4, 2002
MANCHESTER
WHAT the Hockeyroos couldn't do the Kookaburras will attempt early tomorrow when they clash with New Zealand for Commonwealth Games gold.
The Australian teams came to Manchester to defend the dual titles won in Kuala Lumpur four years ago. The much-loved Hockeyroos failed, beaten by resurgent England in the semi-final.
Now the men - who have lived for so long in their shadow - have the chance to take another important step towards persuading the Australian people they, too, deserve their adoration.
"History may show we have a good record against New Zealand but that counts for nothing when you get out there," captain Paul Gaudoin said after the Kookaburras defeated South Africa 3-1 in a tough semi-final early yesterday.
"New Zealand are playing well. We are confident we can do the job but we just have to put it together."
Sydney striker Matthew Smith - who has declared the final will be his last match in the green and gold - opened the scoring in the semi-final in the 12th minute, unleashing a power shot on a penalty corner.
The South Africans responded five minutes from half-time through another penalty-corner conversion.
The scores were locked at 1-1 at the break. Two minutes after the resumption, Australian forward Troy Elder - whose is reputed as one of the world's most fearsome penalty-corner flickers - unleashed a beauty, which crashed into the top of the goal box and was last seen heading for London.
Six minutes later, Elder was denied again when the ball hit the cross bar but landed centimetres from the goal-line in the field of play.
Minutes later, full-back Bevan George gave Australia the lead with a spectacular individual effort.
The giant Western Australian dispossessed an opposing forward 70 metres from goal and then charged forward himself.
Like an express train, George takes some time to stop. He surged forward and got a touch on the ball inside the circle.
The South Africans were relentless but Michael McCann put the game beyond doubt with two minutes to play after brilliant lead-up work from Jamie Dywer.
Coach Barry Dancer said the Kookaburras would take heart from having beaten New Zealand 6-1 in the first round. But New Zealand, in turn, trounced highly fancied Pakistan 7-1 in the semi-final.
"They will be buoyed by that result and they will be significantly tougher than when we played them in the first match of the tournament," Dancer said.
Gaudoin said his team would be playing in part for the Hockeyroos, who were left to fight for the bronze medal. ``We're hurting for the girls and we want to make sure we do them a little justice as well," he said.
Victory in the final would be sweet, but the truth is that breaking through for Australia's first Olympic men's gold medal in Athens in two years is probably the only thing which will convince the public that the Kookaburras are the real deal.
Head to head
Games played 83: Australia 51, NZ 18, drawn 14
Goals scored: Australia 207, NZ 111
Last met: Australia d NZ 4-2 (Six-Nation tournament, Kuala Lumpur 18/1/02)
Games record:
1998 Kuala Lumpur: Australia d NZ 2-0
2002 Manchester: Australia d NZ 6-1 in pool match
Path to final:
Australia d NZ 6-1
Australia d South Africa 4-1
Australia d Barbados 20-1 (Comm Games goal record)
Australia d South Africa 3-1
NZ d Barbados 13-0
NZ d South Africa 2-5
NZ d Canada 3-2
NZ d Pakistan 7-1
Last major tournament final meeting: 1976 Montreal Olympics: NZ d Australia 1-0.
© 2002 The Sunday Age