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Ric Charlesworth will lead Kookaburras to Olympic gold

2011-12-13 02:12:00

FEEL the urge to wager the house, but need the safety of the wife never finding out? Your bet is the Australian men's hockey team at next year's Olympics because, like you, they can't lose.

Hockey is one of the minnows battling for recognition and coverage among an AFL-dominated landscape, so for the uninitiated who can be excused for not knowing that Australia is very, very good at hockey, here is a rundown of the road to London.

Australia has only ever won one Olympic gold medal in men's hockey and that came at Athens in 2004.

The team was coached by Barry Dancer, but after failing to defend its crown at Beijing and finishing third, Dancer stepped aside and Ric Charlesworth took the reins the following year.

Charlesworth, one of the greatest sporting minds on the planet - not limited to hockey - is a major reason why your bet will be safe.

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Related Coverage

Kookaburras set sights on Olympic gold The Australian, 19 hours ago
Kookas reign supreme in Champions Trophy Perth Now, 1 day ago
Charlesworth warns of British grit The Australian, 7 days ago
Kookaburras eye bigger prize Adelaide Now, 30 Nov 2011
Haigh surprised to be included among greats Adelaide Now, 18 Nov 2011

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He is an accomplished sportsman himself, having competed in five Olympics, but it was his role with the women's national team, the Hockeyroos, from 1993 that spawned a coaching dynasty.

In the seven years he spent at the helm, he took the Hockeyroos to two consecutive Olympic gold medals, four Champions Trophies, two world cups, a Commonwealth Games crown and a partridge in a pear tree.

His CV also includes stints as the high-performance manager for New Zealand cricket and performance consultant with the Dockers.

There are even rumours that an EPL outfit either was, or still is, interested in him, due to the ease of strategy transition to the soccer pitch.

When Charlesworth is talked about in sporting circles, he's talked about in reverence.

So what's he done since holding the wheel of the Kookas?

Basically, he's turned their Layland P76 - Wheels Car of the Year and the ducks-nuts, which went out of production after 18 months - into the impenetrable, bomb-proof fortification that US President Barack Obama was rocking when he visited.

Australia has won every major tournament since Charlesworth took on the job: two Champions Trophies, two Oceania Hockey Cups, one world cup and last year's Commonwealth Games and added this year's Azlan Shah Cup for good measure.

Alongside Charlesworth is co-captain Jamie Dwyer.

To employ the AFL metaphor to put Dwyer in a context that most Australians would understand, he is a man who has won a premiership (2004 Olympic Games gold medal), kicked the premiership-winning goal (he scored the overtime goal that won the Olympic title), and claimed four Brownlow Medals (he has been named World Hockey Player of the Year four times).

Dwyer has major talent and sadly is celebrated more overseas than he is in his own country, but a great individual rarely makes a great team and around Dwyer is a solid blend of experience and youth.

From the back to front the team oozes talent: with the outstanding Nathan Burgers in goals and the likes of 263-capped co-skipper Liam De Young protecting him; a midfield that includes 2008 WorldHockey Young Player of the Year Eddie Ockenden and the strong-engined Simon Orchard; and a strike force whose members include Dwyer - when he's not running around the middle - and the prolific Des Abbott.

The team's track record speaks for itself, but the final test looms this weekend.

The 2011 Champions Trophy in New Zealand is the final major tournament before the Olympics and Australia enters the competition in search of an unprecedented fourth-consecutive title.

A few players are absent - Burgers is getting a rest while young keepers George Bazeley and Andrew Charter get the chance for experience, Orchard and WA defender Graeme Begbie are recovering from injuries, to mention a few - and the team's depth will be tested.

But, going on the Kookaburras' record, they'll win it and the machine will roll on to London where they'll capture that too and Charlesworth will close his tenure with the one medal that escaped him in his playing days - the men's Olympic gold.

You can bet your house on it.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/