Australia coach Gaudoin feels that players’ mental resilience is strong point
In modern hockey, Australians are a force to reckon with. Be it the Kookaburras, (as the senior team known) who have been a dominating force for the last 20 years or the Burras, (the U-21 team) who has been champion once in 1997.
Apart from that they have been runners-up in 1983, 1989 and 2005. Two third-place finishes in 1993 and 2009 further established them as a team.
This time too they have declared their intentions to go for the title in attacking mode. "We are here to win the World Cup, which is our main goal. You play a tournament to win. Other things that we are looking at are to see how these guys play in the transition process and how they adjust against different styles of the game. We are looking forward to the first game against Argentina," Australian U-21 coach Paul Gaudoin said on Wednesday before his side's practice game against Germany.
Talking about the preparations for the tournament, Gaudoin said, "They are a bunch of talented and hard-working guys. Only one player has played for the national team because it is a tough side to get a place. We had a good training back in Australia and the guys look prepared, both physically and skill-wise. Here, in the couple of days, it is just about the mental thing and improving their tactical ability.
“The boys are excited to play in India at such a big stadium. For the players, World Cup is obviously a massive thing. The players know that the original place for hockey is India. I am too excited to see how they play in front of a big crowd," he added.
He sees India along with couple of other countries as tough opponents and contenders for the title. "India, Pakistan, Belgium, Germany and Netherlands are favourites."
Gaudoin, who is a former national player and worked as assistant coach with the senior Australian team which won the World Cup and Commonwealth Games in 2010 in Delhi, pointed out that the mental resilience is the strong point. "We don't have any big player. We need our team to be big. Mental resilience of the players are very good and they have the capability to focus full 70 minutes regardless of the scoreline. They have learned not to drop their shoulder at any moment and that is our strength," he said.
The coach also feels that through the programmes like the Hockey India league, India will reemerge as the dominant force. "They were the mighty force and lately they have not been successful. That could be for varied reasons like turf, system, money. India is the place of hockey and the game needs India. The members of our team are excited because if they play well here, they will have a good chance to play in the league. So, through the HIl, in 4-6 years, I am anticipating that India will peak," he reasoned.