Tight schedule, heat a challenge for Aussie hockey girls

NEW DELHI - Cramped schedules and Delhi’s heat are posing a challenge for the Australian women’s hockey team as it gears up to defend the gold it won four years ago at home in the Melbourne Games.

The team has put behind the disappointing fifth-place finish in the World Cup in Argentina last month and captain Madonna Blyth, who was a member of the gold winning team in Melbourne, knows that the Hockeyroos have a lot of motivation to play at the Commonwealth Games.

The three-time Olympic champions have an enviable record at the Commonwealth Games having won the gold medal twice (1998, 2006) since the introduction of the sport at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games.

“We had some expectations from the World Cup in Argentina, but unfortunately we had a disappointing fifth place finish,” Blyth told IANS at the Games Village.

“But we have put the past behind and the team knows that we have a lot of motivation to play at the Commonwealth Games. We have won two gold medals and that is no mean feat. As a hockey player, this is one tournament we always like to play in and after the failure at the World Cup we are more determined to win the gold here,” she said.

Australia is grouped with hosts India, South Africa, Scotland and Trinidad and Tobago in the 10-team tournament. They will face Trinidad and Tobago in the opening encounter Oct 5, at the historic Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, which was the main venue of the first Asian Games in 1951.

Blyth said the team has the ability to defend the gold in Delhi.

“I think we have a great team and the stage is perfect for us to defend the gold medal that we won in Melbourne in 2006. We have put in lot of hard work and we are really focused,” said the 25-year-old midfielder.

Blyth, however, said the heat and the gruelling schedule of playing four games in five days will be a challenge for the team.

“We will be playing all the matches in the afternoon heat and it will be really tough for us, because back home we trained in cooler conditions. It is also tough, because we play our first four games in five days. For a game like hockey, which is quite physical, this is a tough task. But I can tell you that the team is in great shape,” she said.

Blyth, a Queenslander, said by winning the gold, the girls want to give a perfect farewell to head coach Frank Murray, who will be retiring as the national coach at the conclusion of the Commonwealth Games.

“Saying goodbye to a head coach is something that you want to do to the best of your ability, and for us that means winning the gold and sending him out on a positive, winning note,” said Blyth.