3 minute read
The Kookaburras' Olympic challenge comes into focus after a second successive loss to Belgium in their Pro League hockey clash at Sydney Olympic Park.
The challenge awaiting the Kookaburras at the Tokyo Olympic Games has been laid bare in Sydney, where Belgium have claimed a 4-2 Pro League win and with it the hosts' world No.1 ranking.
The rivals, who met in last year's Pro League final and are widely tipped to be gold-medal contenders in Tokyo, faced off twice over the weekend at Sydney Olympic Park.
Australia were not embarrassed in either contest against the World Cup holders, losing Saturday's penalty shootout 4-2 before conceding two late goals on Sunday to go down by the same score.
But the results, built on the back of Belgium's potent attacking flair, served as a reminder of how hard it will be for the Kookaburras to break through for their first Olympic gold medal since Athens 2004.
"They were pretty clinical," Matthew Swann said after his 200th game for the Kookaburras
"It also reflects where we're at as a team. The two of us are No.1 and No.2 in the world, so we have a lot of work to do leading into the Olympics.
"We can't leave anything to chance ... we allowed them to dictate things for too long and that makes us run too much. If it's going to be hot in Tokyo, that's going to be a particularly big issue."
Swann, who represented Australia at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games, suggested it was an ideal time in the Olympic year to face the word's best team.
"We'll take heaps of learnings out of today and hopefully we'll have a few tricks up our sleeves when it comes to the big matches," the 30-year-old defender said.
Alexander Hendrickx, having delivered Belgium a last-gasp equaliser in the Pro League opener, backed it up on Sunday with penalty-corner goals in the 13th and 25th minutes.
The Kookaburras refused to fold and Lachlan Sharp successfully halved the deficit with a third-quarter goal.
Goalkeeper Tyler Lovell blocked a powerful strike from Belgium captain Thomas Briels in the third term and was regularly under siege as the Europeans poured forward.
Belgium's Sebastien Dockier struck the crossbar before Maxime Plennevaux found the net to make it 3-1 in the 56th minute.
Australia played the final stages without a keeper in their search for a miracle, conceding another goal through Emmanuel Stockbroekx, before Jeremy Hayward struck a consolation for the home team.
"At 3-1 you're really chasing your tail. We pulled our keeper, they got a breakaway and scored an easy goal," Swann said.
"They're a good side, they've been playing together for quite some time."
