HOCKEY: Australia’s men’s hockey team began their Olympic campaign with a narrow 2-1 win over trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand on day one in Rio.
Goals from Chris Ciriello and Matt Gohdes put the Australian men two goals up at half time before Hugo Inglis halved the deficit within 60 seconds of the start of the third quarter.
Both sides enjoyed plenty of opportunities to add to their tally and it might have been a very different story had Australian captain Mark Knowles not successfully appealed a New Zealand ‘equaliser’ five minutes from full time.
“We got those two goals but still we didn’t take the chances we should have,” admitted Mark Knowles.
“We can really kill teams that aren’t alive at the start and we should have done that. The disappointing part is some individual errors by us all in the second half, but we know that we can get so much better.”
Australia enjoyed much the best of the first half, winning four penalty corners. And it was from one such set piece – their third – that Chris Ciriello gave the world champions the lead. Blake Govers’ spin pass left at the top of the circle bought Ciriello the time to pick his spot and his low flick went in off a New Zealand defender on the line.
New Zealand had their moments with Andrew Charter called upon to make a save on the stroke of quarter time and Matt Gohdes’ diving tackle preventing a shot at the top of the circle immediately after the restart.
After Jamie Dwyer picked the pocket of a New Zealand defender in the 23rd minute, Australia scored their second goal. Cutting along the baseline, Dwyer drew Kiwi goalkeeper Devon Manchester before slipping the ball to cousin Matt Gohdes, who directed the pass home for 2-0.
New Zealand pulled one back less than one minute after the third quarter restart when a long aerial pass caught out the Australian defence. Hugo Inglis evaded the onrushing Charter and his cross-shot from an acute angle deflected off the recovering goalkeeper and into the goal.
The fourth period belonged to New Zealand, who aside from the disallowed goal – deemed dangerous on appeal as a cross from Hayden Phillips was turned in by Inglis - had a shot from Phillips saved by Charter and were just centimetres from a certain goal when Nick Wilson’s cutback just evaded an unmarked Shay Neal.
Knowles admitted afterwards the decision to review the goal was as much in hope as expectation.
“I wasn’t sure. I thought it was dangerous but it might have been going in,” said Knowles.
“I thought to myself, ‘at seven and a half minutes to go in the game, I’ll give it a go’. No-one else really had a good idea. Andrew Charter said he thinks so. That’s a good part of guys when they’re really switched on; Charts and myself we thought we better have a go.”
Australia will be looking to back it up against Spain on Sunday night (9.30am AEST, Monday).
Lawrence West
olympics.com.au
