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Australia men's national field hockey team

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Australia
Nickname(s)The Kookaburras
AssociationHockey Australia
ConfederationOHF (Oceania)
Head CoachMark Hager
Assistant coach(es)Anthony Potter
ManagerMelissa Grey
CaptainAran Zalewski
Most capsEddie Ockenden (414)
Top scorerJamie Dwyer (244)
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Home
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Away
FIH ranking
Current 6 Steady (23 November 2024)[1]
Highest1 (2005, 2010–2011, 2014 – January 2017, December 2017 – July 2018, June 2019 – January 2020)
Lowest6 (2023, August 2024)
First international
New Zealand  5–4  Australia
(Palmerston North, New Zealand; 27 September 1922)[2]
Biggest win
Australia  36–0  Samoa
(Stratford, New Zealand; 24 October 2015)
Biggest defeat
Australia  1–12  India
(Melbourne, Australia; 17 August 1935)
Olympic Games
Appearances17 (first in 1956)
Best result1st (2004)
World Cup
Appearances14 (first in 1971)
Best result1st (1986, 2010, 2014)
Oceania Cup
Appearances12 (first in 1999)
Best result1st (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2023)

The Australia men's national field hockey team (nicknamed the Kookaburras) is one of the nation's most successful top-level sporting teams. They are the only Australian team in any sport to receive medals at six straight Summer Olympic Games (1992–2012). The Kookaburras placed in the top four in every Olympics between 1980 and 2012 winning gold in 2004; in 2016, the Kookaburras placed sixth.[3] They won the Hockey World Cup in 1986, 2010 and 2014. They won the Hockey Champions Trophy 15 times, the most by any team. They also won the Pro League and World League twice each.

The Kookaburras' inability to win an Olympic gold medal despite their perennial competitiveness, led many in the Australian hockey community to speak of a "curse" afflicting the team,[4] finally broken in 2004 with the win in Athens. However, they failed to win Gold after that after losses in subsequent Olympics including a loss to Belgium in the Gold Medal Match of 2020 Tokyo Olympics - the Kookaburras instead won the silver medal.[5]

History

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Australia's first men's team competed in an international match in 1922.[6]

The first major competition won by the national team was the 1983 World Championships held in Karachi.[7]

Participations

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Australia's first men's team competed at the Olympics in field hockey at the 1956 Summer Olympics.[7]

Australia did not medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics[8] or the 1988 Summer Olympics.[9] At the 1992 Summer Olympics, Australia earned a silver medal, losing gold to Germany.[10] At the 1996 Summer Olympics, Australia finished third, earning a bronze medal.[11]

The team won their first Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Barry Dancer coached the side.[12]

Should Australia win the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics they will become the first national team in field hockey history to hold all four international titles available to them simultaneously. They would hold titles in the 2012 Olympics, 2010 World Cup, 2011 Champions Trophy and their continental championship (2011 Oceania Cup) at the same time. Along with those four titles Australia also holds the Commonwealth Games title from the 2010 championships.

Tournament records

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Olympic Games[13]
Year Host city Position
1908 United Kingdom London, United Kingdom
1920 Belgium Antwerp, Belgium
1928 Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands
1932 United States Los Angeles, United States
1936 Germany Berlin, Germany
1948 United Kingdom London, United Kingdom
1952 Finland Helsinki, Finland
1956 Australia Melbourne, Australia 5th
1960 Italy Rome, Italy 6th
1964 Japan Tokyo, Japan 3rd
1968 Mexico Mexico City, Mexico 2nd
1972 Germany Munich, Germany 5th
1976 Canada Montreal, Canada 2nd
1980 Soviet Union Moscow, Soviet Union Boycott
1984 United States Los Angeles, United States 4th
1988 South Korea Seoul, South Korea 4th
1992 Spain Barcelona, Spain 2nd
1996 United States Atlanta, United States 3rd
2000 Australia Sydney, Australia 3rd
2004 Greece Athens, Greece 1st
2008 China Beijing, China 3rd
2012 United Kingdom London, United Kingdom 3rd
2016 Brazil Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 6th
2020 Japan Tokyo, Japan 2nd
2024 France Paris, France 6th
FIH World Cup[14]
Year Host city Position
1971 Spain Barcelona, Spain 8th
1973 Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands Withdrew
1975 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 5th
1978 Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina 3rd
1982 India Bombay, India 3rd
1986 England London, England 1st
1990 Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan 3rd
1994 Australia Sydney, Australia 3rd
1998 Netherlands Utrecht, Netherlands 4th
2002 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2nd
2006 Germany Mönchengladbach, Germany 2nd
2010 India New Delhi, India 1st
2014 Netherlands The Hague, Netherlands 1st
2018 India Bhubaneswar, India 3rd
2023 India Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, India 4th
2026 Belgium Wavre, Belgium
Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands
Q
FIH Champions Trophy[15]
Year Host city Position
1978 Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan 2nd
1980 Pakistan Karachi, Pakistan 3rd
1981 2nd
1982 Netherlands Amstelveen, Netherlands 2nd
1983 Pakistan Karachi, Pakistan 1st
1984 1st
1985 Australia Perth, Australia 1st
1986 Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan 2nd
1987 Netherlands Amstelveen, Netherlands 3rd
1988 Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan 3rd
1989 Germany Berlin, West Germany 1st
1990 Australia Melbourne, Australia 1st
1991 Germany Berlin, Germany 4th
1992 Pakistan Karachi, Pakistan 2nd
1993 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1st
1994 Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan 4th
1995 Germany Berlin, Germany 2nd
1996 India Madras, India 6th
1997 Australia Adelaide, Australia 2nd
1998 Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan 3rd
1999 Australia Brisbane, Australia 1st
2000 Netherlands Amstelveen, Netherlands 5th
2001 Netherlands Rotterdam, Netherlands 2nd
2002 Germany Cologne, Germany 5th
2003 Netherlands Amstelveen, Netherlands 2nd
2004 Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan Withdrew[16]
2005 India Chennai, India 1st
2006 Spain Terrassa, Spain 4th
2007 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2nd
2008 Netherlands Rotterdam, Netherlands 1st
2009 Australia Melbourne, Australia 1st
2010 Germany Mönchengladbach, Germany 1st
2011 New Zealand Auckland, New Zealand 1st
2012 Australia Melbourne, Australia 1st
2014 India Bhubaneswar, India 3rd
2016 United Kingdom London, United Kingdom 1st
2018 Netherlands Breda, Netherlands 1st
FIH World League[13]
Year Round Host city Position
2012–13 Semifinal Netherlands Rotterdam, Netherlands 2nd
Final India New Delhi, India 4th
2014–15 Semifinal Belgium Antwerp, Belgium 1st
Final India Raipur, India 1st
2016–17 Semifinal South Africa Johannesburg, South Africa 3rd
Final India Bhubaneswar, India 1st
FIH Pro League[17]
Year Season Position
2019 Season One 1st
2020–21 Season Two 2nd
2021–22 Season Three Withdrew
2022–23 Season Four 7th
2023–24 Season Five 1st
2024–25 Season Six Q
Commonwealth Games[13]
Year Host city Position
1998 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1st
2002 England Manchester, England 1st
2006 Australia Melbourne, Australia 1st
2010 India New Delhi, India 1st
2014 Scotland Glasgow, Scotland 1st
2018 Australia Gold Coast, Australia 1st
2022 England Birmingham, England 1st
Oceania Cup[18]
Year Host city Position
1999 Australia Brisbane, Australia 1st
2001 Australia Melbourne, Australia 1st
2003 New Zealand Christchurch and Wellington, New Zealand 1st
2005 Fiji Suva, Fiji 1st
2007 Australia Buderim, Australia 1st
2009 New Zealand Invercargill, New Zealand 1st
2011 Australia Hobart, Australia 1st
2013 New Zealand Stratford, New Zealand 1st
2015 1st
2017 Australia Sydney, Australia 1st
2019 Australia Rockhampton, Australia 1st
2023 New Zealand Whangārei, New Zealand 1st
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup[19]
Year Host city Position
1983 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1st
1985–1991 Did Not Compete
1994 Malaysia Penang, Malaysia 3rd
1995 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1996 Malaysia Ipoh, Malaysia 2nd
1998 1st
1999 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2000
2001 3rd
2003
2004 1st
2005 1st
2006 2nd
2007 Malaysia Ipoh, Malaysia 1st
2008
2009
2010 3rd
2011 1st
2012
2013 1st
2014 1st
2015 2nd
2016 1st
2017 2nd
2018 1st
2019–Present Did Not Compete

Team

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Current squad

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The following 17 players were named in the initial Kookaburras squad for 2025.[20]

Head coach: Mark Hager

All caps and goals current as of 4 August 2024, following the match against the Netherlands.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps GoalsClub
57 DF Jed Snowden (2001-08-15) 15 August 2001 (age 23) 0 0 South Australia Adelaide Fire

3 DF Corey Weyer (1996-03-28) 28 March 1996 (age 28) 69 4 Queensland Brisbane Blaze
4 DF Jake Harvie (1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 26) 145 5 Western Australia Perth Thundersticks
10 DF Joshua Beltz (1995-04-24) 24 April 1995 (age 29) 125 5 Tasmania Tassie Tigers
16 DF Timothy Howard (1996-06-23) 23 June 1996 (age 28) 137 3 Queensland Brisbane Blaze
32 DF Jeremy Hayward (1993-03-03) 3 March 1993 (age 31) 233 120 Netherlands Den Bosch
36 DF Anand Gupte (1998-09-04) 4 September 1998 (age 26) 8 0 Australian Capital Territory Canberra Chill

1 MF Lachlan Sharp (1997-07-02) 2 July 1997 (age 27) 107 21 New South Wales NSW Pride
2 MF Thomas Craig (1995-09-03) 3 September 1995 (age 29) 142 46 Netherlands Klein Zwitserland
19 MF Craig Marais (2002-05-28) 28 May 2002 (age 22) 17 1 Victoria (state) HC Melbourne
20 MF Ky Willott (2001-03-15) 15 March 2001 (age 23) 57 15 New South Wales NSW Pride
33 MF Hayden Beltz (1997-09-08) 8 September 1997 (age 27) 11 0 Tasmania Tassie Tigers
54 MF Liam Henderson (2003-08-28) 28 August 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Victoria (state) HC Melbourne

7 FW Nathan Ephraums (1999-06-09) 9 June 1999 (age 25) 75 33 Victoria (state) HC Melbourne
13 FW Blake Govers (1996-07-06) 6 July 1996 (age 28) 167 154 Belgium Dragons
29 FW Timothy Brand (1998-11-29) 29 November 1998 (age 26) 103 35 Netherlands Klein Zwitserland
50 FW Cooper Burns (2002-03-06) 6 March 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Victoria (state) HC Melbourne

The wider 21 player extended squad is as follows:[20]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps GoalsClub
45 GK Christian Starkie (2000-04-10) 10 April 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Western Australia Perth Thundersticks
49 GK Ashleigh Thomas (1995-07-21) 21 July 1995 (age 29) 5 0 New South Wales NSW Pride
58 GK Oliver Higgins (2002-10-13) 13 October 2002 (age 22) 0 0 South Australia Adelaide Fire
60 GK Mitchell Nicholson (1997-12-18) 18 December 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Queensland Brisbane Blaze

26 DF James Collins (2000-02-25) 25 February 2000 (age 24) 27 0 Western Australia Perth Thundersticks
46 DF Hayden Pease (2003-05-29) 29 May 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Queensland Brisbane Blaze
53 DF Cambell Geddes (2002-06-18) 18 June 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Western Australia Perth Thundersticks
64 DF Dylan Downey (2005-01-26) 26 January 2005 (age 19) 0 0 New South Wales NSW Pride
75 DF Oliver Stebbings (2006-06-01) 1 June 2006 (age 18) 0 0 Tasmania Tassie Tigers
82 DF Dylan Brick 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Australian Capital Territory Canberra Chill

15 MF Jayden Atkinson (2001-07-09) 9 July 2001 (age 23) 18 0 Queensland Brisbane Blaze
37 MF Thomas Harvie (2000-02-01) 1 February 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Western Australia Perth Thundersticks
48 MF Davis Atkin (2001-02-17) 17 February 2001 (age 23) 8 0 Australian Capital Territory Canberra Chill
51 MF Nathan Czinner (2002-03-19) 19 March 2002 (age 22) 0 0 New South Wales NSW Pride
72 MF Nye Roberts-Campello (2003-01-24) 24 January 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Victoria (state) HC Melbourne
77 MF Max Freedman (2003-03-19) 19 March 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Western Australia Perth Thundersticks

21 FW Jack Welch (1997-10-26) 26 October 1997 (age 27) 39 15 Tasmania Tassie Tigers
27 FW Joel Rintala (1996-07-24) 24 July 1996 (age 28) 6 8 Queensland Brisbane Blaze
56 FW Connar Otterbach (2001-08-16) 16 August 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Victoria (state) HC Melbourne
61 FW Benjamin White (2000-10-02) 2 October 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Victoria (state) HC Melbourne
74 FW Daykin Stanger (2005-03-20) 20 March 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Queensland Brisbane Blaze

Recent call-ups

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The following players have received call-ups to the national team in the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Andrew Charter (1987-03-30) 30 March 1987 (age 37) 251 0 Australian Capital Territory Canberra Chill v.  Netherlands; 4 August 2024 RETIRED
GK Johan Durst (1991-03-18) 18 March 1991 (age 33) 38 0 Victoria (state) HC Melbourne 2024 Summer Olympics RESERVE

DF Matthew Dawson (1994-04-27) 27 April 1994 (age 30) 215 13 Netherlands Amsterdam v.  Netherlands; 4 August 2024 RETIRED

MF Daniel Beale (1993-02-12) 12 February 1993 (age 31) 241 34 Queensland Brisbane Blaze v.  Germany; 11 June 2024 RETIRED
MF Eddie Ockenden (1987-04-03) 3 April 1987 (age 37) 451 73 Tasmania Tassie Tigers v.  Netherlands; 4 August 2024 RETIRED
MF Flynn Ogilvie (1993-09-17) 17 September 1993 (age 31) 175 29 New South Wales NSW Pride v.  Netherlands; 4 August 2024
MF Jacob Whetton (1991-06-15) 15 June 1991 (age 33) 279 80 Queensland Brisbane Blaze v.  Netherlands; 4 August 2024 RETIRED
MF Aran Zalewski (1991-03-21) 21 March 1991 (age 33) 267 35 Western Australia Perth Thundersticks v.  Netherlands; 4 August 2024 RETIRED

FW Jacob Anderson (1997-03-22) 22 March 1997 (age 27) 69 23 Queensland Brisbane Blaze v.  India; 13 April 2024
FW Thomas Wickham (1990-05-26) 26 May 1990 (age 34) 114 50 Western Australia Perth Thundersticks v.  Netherlands; 4 August 2024

Notable players

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Results and fixtures

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The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

[edit]
11 February 2024 India Leg Spain  3–4  Australia Bhubaneswar, India
17:30 Miralles field hockey ball 29'
N. Álvarez field hockey ball 36'
Cabré-Verdiell field hockey ball 37'
Report Sharp field hockey ball 8'52'
Whetton field hockey ball 19'
Govers field hockey ball 25'
Stadium: Kalinga Hockey Stadium
13 February 2024 India Leg Australia  5–0  Ireland Bhubaneswar, India
17:30 Craig field hockey ball 17'
Hayward field hockey ball 22'
Willott field hockey ball 25'57'
Ephraums field hockey ball 43'
Report Stadium: Kalinga Hockey Stadium
15 February 2024 India Leg India  4–6  Australia Bhubaneswar, India
19:30 Harmanpreet field hockey ball 12'20'
Sukhjeet field hockey ball 18'
Mandeep field hockey ball 29'
Report Govers field hockey ball 2'2'
Zalewski field hockey ball 40'
Sharp field hockey ball 52'
Anderson field hockey ball 55'
Welch field hockey ball 58'
Stadium: Kalinga Hockey Stadium
16 February 2024 India Leg Netherlands  4–5  Australia Bhubaneswar, India
17:30 Telgenkamp field hockey ball 6'
Bijen field hockey ball 12'22'
Janssen field hockey ball 56'
Report Govers field hockey ball 33'53'
Hayward field hockey ball 40'48'
Brand field hockey ball 60'
Stadium: Kalinga Hockey Stadium
21 February 2024 India Leg Spain  1–4  Australia Rourkela, India
17:30 Amat field hockey ball 2' Report Ogilvie field hockey ball 4'
Ephraums field hockey ball 8'
Hayward field hockey ball 25'
Brand field hockey ball 44'
Stadium: Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium
22 February 2024 India Leg Ireland  1–4  Australia Rourkela, India
17:30 O'Donoghue field hockey ball 44' Report Govers field hockey ball 33'52'
Ephraums field hockey ball 40'
Welch field hockey ball 56'
Stadium: Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium
24 February 2024 India Leg India  2–2
(0–3 p)
 Australia Rourkela, India
19:30 Report Stadium: Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium
6 April 2024 Match 1 Australia  5–1  India Perth, Australia
16:40 Report Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium
7 April 2024 Match 2 Australia  4–2  India Perth, Australia
16:40 Report Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium
10 April 2024 Match 3 Australia  2–1  India Perth, Australia
17:40 Report Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium
12 April 2024 Match 4 Australia  3–1  India Perth, Australia
17:40 Report Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium
13 April 2024 Match 5 Australia  3–2  India Perth, Australia
16:40 Report Stadium: Perth Hockey Stadium
2 June 2024 Belgium Leg Belgium  4–4
(3–2 p)
 Australia Antwerp, Belgium
16:15 Report Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein
27 July 2024 Pool B Australia  1–0  Argentina Paris, France
13:15 Govers field hockey ball 30+' Report Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir
29 July 2024 Pool B Ireland  1–2  Australia Paris, France
10:00 Cole field hockey ball 25' Report Weyer field hockey ball 9'
Govers field hockey ball 30'
Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir
30 July 2024 Pool B Australia  2–6  Belgium Paris, France
19:45 Sharp field hockey ball 28'
Govers field hockey ball 44'
Report Hendrickx field hockey ball 7'
Boon field hockey ball 15'30'57'
Van Aubel field hockey ball 35'
Kina field hockey ball 38'
Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir
2 August 2024 Pool B Australia  2–3  India Paris, France
13:15 Report Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir

2025

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4 September 2025 Match 1 Australia  v  New Zealand Darwin, Australia
Stadium: Marrara Hockey Centre
6 September 2025 Match 2 Australia  v  New Zealand Darwin, Australia
Stadium: Marrara Hockey Centre
7 September 2025 Match 3 Australia  v  New Zealand Darwin, Australia
Stadium: Marrara Hockey Centre

Family

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Barry Dancer/Brent Dancer and Ric Charlesworth/Jonathan Charlesworth are two pairs of father as coach and son as player while both were affiliated with the national team in those positions.[12][21]

Recognition

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References

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General sources

  1. ^ "FIH Outdoor World Hockey Rankings". FIH. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  2. ^ "History of Hockey in Australia". Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  3. ^ ABC (15 August 2016). "Rio 2016: Australia's Kookaburras and Sharks knocked out of men's hockey and water polo". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Kookaburras ready to toss the monkey". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 August 2004. Archived from the original on 27 July 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  5. ^ "Wagga Wagga's Olympic debutant Dylan Martin helps Kookaburras win hockey silver medal - ABC News". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 August 2021.
  6. ^ Epstein, Jackie (21 October 2009). "Dwyer breaks free of Holland binds – Australia always comes first". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Australia. p. 76. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  7. ^ a b Department of Sport, Recreation and Tourism; Australian Sport Commission (1985). Australian Sport, a profile. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Publish Service. pp. 177–178. ISBN 0644036672.
  8. ^ Dorling Kindersley Limited. (1999). The Olympic Games. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Dorling Kindersley. p. 320. ISBN 1864660635. OCLC 57337092.
  9. ^ Dorling Kindersley Limited. (1999). The Olympic Games. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Dorling Kindersley. p. 327. ISBN 1864660635. OCLC 57337092.
  10. ^ Dorling Kindersley Limited. (1999). The Olympic Games. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Dorling Kindersley. p. 335. ISBN 1864660635. OCLC 57337092.
  11. ^ Dorling Kindersley Limited. (1999). The Olympic Games. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Dorling Kindersley. p. 343. ISBN 1864660635. OCLC 57337092.
  12. ^ a b Petrie, Andrea (18 October 2009). "Sons a chip off the old stick – HOCKEY". The Sunday Age. Melbourne, Australia. p. 19. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  13. ^ a b c "Fédération Internationale de Hockey | Official Website". International Hockey Federation.
  14. ^ "World Cup – FIH". International Hockey Federation.
  15. ^ "Champions Trophy". FIH.
  16. ^ "Australia pull out of Champions Trophy". 12 October 2004.
  17. ^ "FIH confirms Spain men and Belgium women join Hockey Pro League". FIH.
  18. ^ "Oceania Cup". Hockey Australia. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  19. ^ "Other". FIH.
  20. ^ a b "Mark Hager leads Kookaburras into a new era with competitive 2025 Squad". hockey.org.au. Hockey Australia. 16 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  21. ^ Department of Sport, Recreation and Tourism; Australian Sport Commission (1985). Australian Sport, a profile. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Publish Service. p. 116. ISBN 0644036672.
  22. ^ a b c "Australian Sports Awards". Confederation of Australian Sport. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  23. ^ "Rabbitohs, Fearnley, Fox win top ASPAS". Australian Sports Commission News, 11 February 2015. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.

Further reading

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