Game plan on track at halfway stage
Top six in Sydney in 2000, top three in Athens in 2004. That has been Great Britain’s performance plan for men’s hockey in order to maintain funding levels, and part one has been achieved. Although a 4-0 defeat by Germany today was a disappointing note on which to end, the tune emerging from this Olympic campaign is upbeat.
“Compared to where we were four or five days ago, when we were staring ninth to twelfth place in the face horribly, we must be pleased,” Simon Mason, the Britain goalkeeper, said. “We are a fifth to eighth side but we are a little way off the top four.” It was a realistic assessment of Britain’s campaign, the low point coming with a “gut-wrenching” 8-1 defeat by Pakistan. Mason, who was outstanding against the Germans today, pointed to a core of players going from here to the next Games who will have gained from the experience.
Those include Tom Bertram, 23, who has kept Julian Halls out of the defence, and Craig Parnham, at 27 a late developer. Of the team here, only David Hacker and Halls have said that they will retire. Barry Dancer, the head coach, suggested that Britain had hardened in this tournament and had built strong foundations for the short term. He confirmed his wish to continue in charge: “This group always gives you heart because of the way they bounce back consistently.”
This Olympic tournament has been evenly matched and unpredictable, the most surprising result coming with Britain’s 2-1 defeat of the Germans in the final pool match earlier this week. That cost Germany their chance of a medal and today they gained a measure of revenge. “The other night was a fantastic result,” Mason said. “Germany didn’t take us for granted this time and really turned it on.”
Ironically the Germans struck as the game seemed to be turning Britain’s way towards the end of the first half. Jimmy Wallis and Guy Fordham had both missed good opportunities, the Germans were agitating over the umpiring and for the second time they were down to ten men as Christoph Bechmann was given a yellow card for dissent. Suddenly Bjoern Michel turned Garrard in the circle and shot in and three minutes later Oliver Domke found himself with only Parnham for company at the end of a break and his shot flashed past Mason.
Mason kept the Germans at bay in the second half with a string of flying saves but in the closing stages Bechmann and Tibor Weissenborn added goals to make the winning margin more appropriate. It was a fitting reminder that Germany are one of the teams on which Britain must close the gap if they are to realise their next aim.
David Chappell
The Times
Hockeyroos pouch their third gold in four Games
Advance Australia fair. After Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman had captured the nation’s attention, Australia’s favourite Olympic team - the Hockeyroos - proved themselves the fairest of them all here tonight. To rapturous acclaim Australia beat Argentina 3-1 to take gold for the second successive Games and confirm themselves as the finest women’s hockey team ever.
Ric Charlesworth, the Australia coach, has spent seven years moulding this exceptional team and as they embarked on a lap of honour to the strains of Waltzing Matilda he waited patiently, camera in hand, to capture their historic moment. They are the first women’s team to defend the Olympic title successfully and this was their third gold medal in four Games.
All the attributes of Charlesworth’s side - fleetness of foot, swift passing, quick wits and wonderful athleticism - were on show for the capacity 15,000 crowd and from the first whistle it was a question only of their winning margin. Alyson Annan put them in front after ten minutes, Juliet Haslam got a second and when Jenny Morris converted a short corner two minutes into the second half the Argentinians were facing a rout.
To their credit they made a game of it, replying swiftly through Vanina Oneto and forcing several short corners through the skills of Karina Masotta and Luciana Aymar. But they were indebted to their goalkeeper, Mariela Antoniska, who defied Morris in particular in a stream of short corners as Australia surged towards victory. The only surprise was that their much-vaunted forwards did not score, Nikki Hudson still finishing as the tournament’s leading scorer with six.
At the end Rechelle Hawkes, whose record third gold medal this is, threw her stick into the crowd to provide a valuable collector’s item.
Charlesworth retires with his job brilliantly done. The Hockeyroos, under the weight of home expectation, have got better and better through this tournament, in which they won seven of their eight matches scoring 25 goals. Only Spain managed to hold them to a draw.
In 253 matches under his guidance, Australia have won 198 and lost just 30. Successive World Cups and now Olympic titles are just reward. Holland took the bronze medal by beating Spain 2-0 but all anybody cared about last night was gold - green and gold.
David Chappell
The Times
