Kookaburras focus on rebuild, not FIH Pro League title

If new Kookaburras coach Mark Hager could choose, he’d skip the painful rebuild and win every game.

Instead, Hager’s tenure at the helm of Australia’s national men’s hockey team began with a 2-1 FIH Pro League defeat to eighth-ranked Spain at Sydney Olympic Park on Wednesday.

Succeeding long-time coach Colin Batch, former national team captain Hager has been tasked with guiding the Kookaburras through a changing of the guard.

It was a disastrous Paris Olympics quarter-final loss to eventual champions the Netherlands that triggered a massive squad upheaval.

Out of Batch’s 22-man squad that played the Games in August, only nine have been called up by Hager, while five – including Kookaburras legend Eddie Ockenden – have retired.

And out of that nine, only five played in the defeat to Spain – their first international fixture since the Olympics and the first in their Pro League title defence.

There were also eight debutants in Hager’s squad, with Spain happily taking advantage of the Kookaburras’ lack of experience.

The Netherlands are up next on Thursday in the Sydney Pro League stage, leaving Australia’s men little time to mope.

Given the enormity of their challenge, Hager admits there has been little thought given to their title defence.

The 60-year-old instead is focusing on the bigger picture – the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“Well, I never like a rough patch but it’s a real learning experience for a lot of these guys,” Hager said.

“The title defence, that’s not even in our minds – it was an opportunity to give some of these guys that have been sitting in the wings a taste of international hockey.

“Now that they’ve got it, hopefully they learn and they get better and better, and hopefully that will increase our depth as we head towards LA.

“I mean, I’m still learning. I’m only five weeks into the job. We’ve only been together for three weeks as a group.

“It’s going to be a tough road for us, but one that I know these guys are cherishing.”

The Hockeyroos face their own Paris Games quarter-final rematch in the later game at Sydney Olympic Park.

Kickstarting their campaign with an emphatic 4-1 win over Spain, Katrina Powell’s side will come up against China, coached by Hockeyroos icon Alyson Annan.

Australia’s women had struggled to withstand China’s physical approach and were left distraught by two controversial calls that went against them in their 3-2 loss at the Olympics.

The defeat stretched the Hockeyroos’s Games medal drought to 24 years.

Taking confidence out of their dominant performance against the Spaniards, striker Courtney Schonell believes her teammate will not cower when they take on China.

The 24-year-old marked her return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury with a goal against Spain.

Schonell suffered the injury in 2023 and missed out on the entire Paris Olympics campaign.

“It was extremely difficult but also I definitely felt for the girls,” Schonell said.

“They put their heart and soul out there, and unfortunately, the score didn’t reflect how much passion we had out there.

“That’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

“We’re just going to recompose (for their rematch), stick to the things we can control, and hopefully put on a good show.”