Category: HERO’S

Posts and updates from particularly amazing people.

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

Hockeyroos 2010 to date

The start to 2010 has been a busy one for us and it is not looking like slowing down soon, but that is great. You only get to play at this level for a reasonably short time, and I have recently learnt that you shouldn’t take this for granted. So I say every moment should be enjoyed or at least something should be gained from every moment. I have found a new level of desire and gratefulness for the position that I am in.

In Australia we have just finished our National League, which took on a new format this year. I grew up in NSW so that is the team I play for. We finished 3rd this year. Not the best result but the best we could do with the cards we were dealt.

What do you out there want to hear about?? Make comments and I will try to reciprocate.

Cheers

Toni Cronk

Make every moment count

One Day to Go!

With one day to go at the World Cup Qualifier event in Chile the Hockeyroos have the world cup in sight. We have won 3 from 3 games now after beating Chile 3-0, Malaysia 9-0 then a close 2-1 win over Scotland yesterday. I have been fortunate enough to have played both the Malaysia and Scotland game and really enjoyed being apart of it all. Tomorrow is our final game against Ireland which if we win or draw will secure us a spot at the World Cup in Argentina. The weather has been beautiful for our last few days and hopefully tomorrow will be the same. Today, being a Saturday, there were heaps of people at the ground. Im sure tomorrows games will attract similar if not more supporters so we are all looking forward to a bit of atmosphere and excitement.

The girls are all doing a bit of last minute shopping before we head home but of course there is one more bit of business we must take care of and thats smashing the Irish tomorrow.

By for now

Rach Lynch

We are one step closer…

Good morning/night whatever it is there now
We are one step closer to making it to the world cup. This afternoon we beat Chile 5-0 in our first game of the tournament. It was a pretty good game and a consistent performance from us. No PC’s against and Cronky only got 2 touches. We created plenty of scoring chances so Frank was quite happy. There were about 4,000 people at the game (apparently) but its funny how quiet a stadium can get when we score a goal. I was in the crowd cheering with the other two girls so thats all that matters.
The schedule keeps changing by the day but we now have till Thursday until we play our next game against Malaysia. 3 games to go ( and win ) then it will be job done. We are all really enjoying the sites and sounds that Chile has to offer. The view of the Andes mountains out our window is a nice site to wake up to. Can’t complain.
Speak soon
Rach

The Hockeyroos have arrived in Chile


The Hockeyroos have arrived in Chile and last night we played an international test match against Chile which we won 4-0. A match purely for practice in the lead up to our World Cup Qualifier event but nevertheless a great start for us. The field is located at the foot of the andies mountains which is a nice incentive to turn up to training. We have had a bit of a look around chile and experienced some of the culture but the focus is on the tournament and preparing as best as we can in order to get the job done and win. The spanish lessons have been a huge help as Ive been able to mix with the locals and interact in a common language. We hope to start the tournament on Sunday but due to the problems in Europe both Scotland and Ireland still have not arrived. I will keep you all updated. Bye for now.

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.

Philippe Thiltges OBO Profile

Austrian mens goalkeeper Philippe Thiltges’s OBO profile.

Philippe Thiltges

What club you play for: WAC

What Country you play for: Austria

Great achievements:

Outdoor:

Playing U21 Europeans Championsships in every Pool (C, B, A);

Playing in the spanish Premier League as Nr 1 Keeper for R.S. Tenis

Euro Hockey Championship A-Pool in Amsterdam

Indoor:

Selected for “Best Goalkeeper of the tournament” at European Cup A Pool 2005 in Vienna with only 18 years

2006 European Championship (A-Pool) in Holland

U21 European Champion 2007 (A-Pool) in Zagreb

List of gear you use:

OBO ROBO Hi-Rebound Kickers & Legguards, OBO ROBO Body Armour, OBO High Rebound Gloves, OBO Helmet, OBO Fat Boy

Best goalie memory: Winning the game against Wales at Europeans U21 B-Pool which promoted us for the A-Pool to null. (1:0)

Saving a lot in the game against Belgium at the European Championship in Amsterdam in front of some thousand spectators.

How often do you train: 3 times a week with the Club, 1 time a week national team, 1 time a week special keepers training with ballmachine in the morning

International caps: aprox. 25

International debut: Eindhoven 2006

Any secret tips: you play only for yourself never let anyone pressure you into it.

Goals in life: Being well educated and finding a challenging job which should also offer the possibility to go on with hobbies and find some time for family & friends.

Philippe Thiltges