Australia’s hockey teams emerged victorious in the inaugural Hockey5s Oceania Cup on the Gold Coast, securing their spots in the upcoming Hockey5s World Cup. Both the women’s and men’s teams remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, although they faced strong challenges from New Zealand in the round-robin matches and the respective gold medal clashes.

In the women’s final, Australia faced a tough test against New Zealand. Eva Kersnovske and Madeline Dooley quickly gave Australia a two-goal advantage, but New Zealand’s captain, Oriwa Hepi, promptly pulled a goal back. The match remained finely balanced until Dooley scored her second goal in the 19th minute, sealing a 3-1 victory and the title for Australia. Women’s Hockey5s coach Keegan Popowski expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance and emphasized the importance of going into the World Cup as the top team from Oceania.

On the men’s side, Australia displayed dominance in the round-robin stage, amassing double-digit scores in their early matches. They secured a place in the final after defeating New Zealand 4-3 in a tightly contested match. In the final, New Zealand took an early 3-0 lead, but Australia fought back with goals from Zac Profke and Jake McCann, cutting the deficit to 3-2 at halftime. Profke equalized early in the second half and then completed his hat-trick in the 14th minute to put Australia ahead. However, New Zealand’s James Hickson responded with his third goal to level the score at 4-4. It was Australian captain Liam Kerr-Nelson who proved to be the match winner, scoring twice in the final three minutes to secure a thrilling 6-4 victory for Australia.

2023 Hockey5s Oceania Cup Women’s Results
Australian Women’s Results
10 July – Australia 12-0 Tonga
11 July – Australia 11-0 Vanuatu
12 July – Australia 8-0 Solomon Islands
12 July – Australia 6-1 Fiji
13 July – Australia 6-2 New Zealand
13 July – Australia 14-0 Papua New Guinea
14 July – Australia 12-1 Papua New Guinea (Semi-Final)
14 July – New Zealand 1-3 Australia (Final)

2023 Hockey5s Oceania Cup Men’s Results
Australian Men’s Results
10 July – Australia 11-2 Solomon Islands
11 July – Australia 10-3 Fiji
11 July – Australia 16-2 Vanuatu
12 July – Australia 11-0 Tonga
12 July – Australia 7-2 Papua New Guinea
13 July – Australia 4-3 New Zealand
14 July – Australia 10-0 Solomon Islands
14 July – New Zealand 4-6 Australia

Alistair Park, the coach of the Australian Men’s Hockey5s team, hailed the tournament as a fantastic learning experience for his players. He highlighted the importance of maximizing their time together as a team and the strong competition provided by other teams in the tournament. Park also acknowledged that the upcoming World Cup would present even greater challenges.

The Hockey5s Oceania Cup served as an important platform for teams in the region, with all matches being livestreamed on LIVEHockey. In addition to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji’s women’s and men’s teams also secured qualification for the Hockey5s World Cup. The 2024 FIH Hockey5s World Cup will take place in Muscat, Oman, featuring 16 nations competing in both the women’s and men’s competitions.

Australian Hockey5s Teams, comprising talented athletes from various states, showcased their skills and teamwork throughout the tournament, ultimately emerging as champions in their respective categories.

Australian Hockey5s Teams
Women’s Team
Madeline Dooley (ACT), Tegan Neowhouse (gk) (NSW), Holly Gilbar (QLD), Eva Kersovnoske (QLD), Jessica Moffat (QLD), Samantha Morris (QLD), Dacia Koelmeyer (VIC), Jayde Temby (gk) (VIC), Jamie Zimmerman (VIC), Sienna Berry (WA)
Coach: Keegan Popowski

Men’s Team
Logan Hunter (gk) (NSW), Jake McCann (NSW), Zac Profke (QLD), Jun Sugio (QLD), Joshua Commins (TAS), Liam Kerr-Nelson (VIC), Nathan McDonald (VIC), Mitchell Pace (WA), Callum Bridge (VIC), Jake McCann (NSW)
Coach: Alistair Park

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Photo Courtesy Hockey Australia

Courtesy Hockey Australia