"I fear the Hockeyroos' golden days are over" GEORGIE PARKER

Interesting article by ex-Hockeyroo Georgie parker. I am interested to hear everyone's thoughts...? (link shared at the end of post)

My thoughts:

Rhett Halkett has inherited a group that’s been together for a long time, with a very similar core over the years. At times that continuity helps, but it can also make a team comfortable and right now they’re not quite the powerhouse they once were. They can't score goals or threaten to score goals.

Growing up in South Africa, the Australian teams were the benchmark. They were feared, respected, and set the standard. This is not the case anymore with the Hockeyroos...

I feel a shift in training intensity and culture could help this group. Bringing in an external performance or conditioning voice (maybe an ex-player from their glory days) to really challenge the group might be valuable. Watching the Ireland and Argentina games, there’s clearly another level to reach as the team is clearly under performing.

I do think the right players are selected — it’s not a case of obvious talent missing. They also have something many nations don’t: they train together sand are with eachother almost daily in a high-performance environment with excellent resources. The ingredients are there.

I know Rhett personally and believe he’s a strong fit for the role and I do believe that he will do a good job - it will just take time. His experiences with the Dutch women and Indian men will have exposed him to very different cultures and styles of play, which is what this Hockeyroos team need.

The question now is: how does he unlock the next level from a group that already has the talent?

They will go to Chile and win the tournament and qualify for the World Cup... this is a no brainer. They have an easy qualification route. But, my question is: how will they get back to the powerhouse team that Australian hockey are known for?

Time will tell and I am keen to watch this space...

Link to Georgie Parker interview:

https://thenightly.com.au/opinion/sport/georgie-parker-hockeyroos-have-long-road-back-to-glory-days-of-2000-sydney-olympics-c-21653953?fbclid=IwZnRzaAQAs4BleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe6DZydq8a5GB7_1SnjleJrvcoaVXm2vq_ElYYBKoMqP6ByENVvBcjLzuE8gI_aem_A6DviFi2fVorLiVnjhLTJA

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