Tag: world cup

5th at World Cup


The World cup is almost over, with only the 3v4 and 1v2 final to go tonight. For us we have finished our tour in 5th place after beating Korea 2-1 in our final match. It has been a really great trip with plenty of highs and lows but I have enjoyed my time in Rosario and relished the chance to mingle with locals, learn more about the culture hear and also speak a bit of Spanish. The Argies certainly know how to put on a show and are so pationate about hockey, which is wonderful to see. Now we head home and after a weeks break start our preparation as a team for the Commonwealth Games. Should be great!

Two from Two

Two games down and the Hockeroos are in a great position at the world cup. Yesterday we beat India 6-3 and our first game was 2-1 against Japan.

Some really good performances in the chilly Argentinian conditions. Today we will all rest up for our big game against the Dutch tomorrow. Usual plan on a rest day is to sleep in, have a few meetings, see the physio if necessary, get the goalie gear washed of course and then start looking towards the next game. Keep an eye out as it should be a tight battle.
Rach

World Cup 2010

Hey All,

It is the eve of the World Cup. I am looking forward to both the challenge and the experience. I feel we are well prepared and ready.

We don’t play our first game until Monday, we play Japan. We are going out tomorrow to watch the first game (Argentina v’s South Africa), which should be a good start to the tournament.

Cheers

Toni Cronk

World Cup Rosario 2010

The Hockeyroos have arrived in Rosario and after a very long few days of travel we all can’t wait to get into the hockey. Our hotel is great and we have been for a bit of a walk around to suss out the area. This afternoon we have training and then tomorrow is our first game which is the ‘Audi Cup’ against Argentina. It is a one off game as a bit of a warm up before the World Cup. Ill be putting regular posts on here once the tournament starts so keep an eye out.

Commonwealth Games Preparation June

Many thanks to solubleduck who asked what sort of training and preparation is needs for the Commonwealth Games.

Well solubleduck, due to the Commonweatlh Games being directly after the World Cup in Argentina most of our preparation is focused around the World Cup which will lead us nicely into the Commonwealth Games.  Currently the Hockeyroos are on tour in Europe. This tour will include focused training sessions and also extra fitness work. As we get closer to the competition trainings will be tailored to more game scenario drills.

Our normal week includes roughly 6 on field sessions as well as a number of strength and conditioning sessions followed by recovery sessions each week.

Teams are always looking at ways to stay on top and ahead of the others. The world of women’s international competition is fiercely competitive these days. Teams need to be fit and resilient to be competitive.

Hope that goes someway to answer your question solubleduck.

Please keep the questions coming.

Cheers

Toni Cronk

Australia vs Korea Series Result

The Kookaburras have won the three test series against Korea in Hobart despite finishing with a 2-1 loss in the final game on Sunday. After 5-1 and 3-2 victories in the opening two games, Korea responded well to end their tour on a positive note. They are certainly a very good side and will be a force to be reckoned with at the World Cup at the end of the month.

As I mentioned in my previous post, there was a large Australian squad taken to Tasmania that included three keepers. I played the first half in game 1 and the second half in game 2, fortunately recording two clean sheets in my time on the field. Generally as a keeper in the Aussie team you only get a handful of touches each game due to the quality of the defence in front of you, so it makes every involvement you do have in the match all the more important. My favourite for the week was a save from a Korean deflection inside the final two minutes of the close win in game two. Fellow GK’s Bazeley and Burgers shared the net in game three and we all now face a week of training and intra-squad matches before we find out which two of us will be heading to India for the World Cup.

One habit that I like to follow whenever possible prior to a match is to spend some time on the field before the warm-up just visualising the game from my position. This is not always an option, particularly when playing a club game or during a tournament when the turf is being used for another game immediately prior to playing myself. However during a test series against another nation there is often time available to spend taking in some of the relevant cues from the goal, such as the impact of the sun’s glare or any potentially distracting obstacles in the background. This is particularly useful when you are playing at an unfamiliar venue, and I was caught in the act here during the Korean series in the picture I have included.

Until next time,

Rossco

Australia – Korea Test Series

The Kookaburras have played their first test for 2010 in Hobart, recording a 5-1 win over Korea in match one of three this week.

Coach Ric Charlesworth brought a squad of 25 players to Tasmania for the series as he looks to finalise the 18 that will represent Australia at the World Cup in India next month. The group includes all three keepers who represented the Kookaburras in 2009, with the intention being to share the load against Korea by playing two halves each over the three games.

I was in the net for the opening whistle yesterday and was happy that we went into the half time break 1-0 up after Des Abbott put one away for Australia after 17 minutes. The crowd in Hobart was fantastic and it was a buzz as always to represent my country, but particularly enjoyable given the great reception we received in Tasmania. It was my first game in my new Green and Gold pads that OBO made up for me, and so far so good – no goals conceded!

Nathan Burgers took over in the second half and in the end we were comfortable winners, although given Korea’s habit in the recent Champions Trophy of coming back from big deficits to salvage results we were wary of their talent right until the final whistle. Games two and three will be played over the weekend, I’ll let you know how we go!

Cheers, Ross.