Trophy Begins Path To Cup
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday July 22, 2006
WINNING would be nice, but its not the be-all and end-all for the Kookaburras when they begin their men's Champions Trophy hockey title defence today.
While keen to maintain their stranglehold on one of world hockey's top three titles, Australia - like the other five nations competing in Terrassa, Spain - will also be using the tournament as a final tune-up for this year's greatest prize - the World Cup in in Germany starting September 6. "We've got our eye on the World Cup, but we certainly do want to do well in the Champions Trophy, and to win it would be nice," said assistant coach Colin Batch, who will take over head coaching duties for the Trophy to give Barry Dancer a better overall view of Australia's form. "This is very much a stepping stone for us to be successful at the World Cup."World No 2 The Netherlands again loom as Australia's main rivals in Spain.After losing last year's decider, the Dutch gained some revenge with a 6-2 thrashing of the Kookaburras in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final in Malaysia last month.
© 2006 Illawarra Mercury