The Australian Men’s hockey team won their seventh consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal just over a week ago. Whereas many in the media predict every Olympic Games that the team will ‘definitely medal,’ and even sometimes are ‘a guaranteed the gold medal,’ the Commonwealth Games is probably the only international tournament in which they are expected to win, and it would be to many involved catastrophic if they didn’t.
With all due respect to the other Commonwealth countries participating, the Kookaburras as they are known, are and have been for a long time regarded as a superior side.
So it was almost bizarre to read some of the articles written following their victory.
The ABC wrote “After winning a seventh-straight gold medal in the men’s hockey at the Commonwealth Games, it must be asked: are the Kookaburras the greatest team to ever perform on this stage?” This question should not even need to be asked.
Is there another team that can come close to their record?
They have won 41 out of 42 matches played over 24 years, and have scored 33 goals in the seven Gold medal matches and only conceded two. Their only loss came in a pool game back in 1998, the first Games to include hockey, and that was to South Africa by a 2-3 scoreline.
Yet this claim needs a little perspective, team sports were only introduced into the Commonwealth Games in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur. This was supposed to bring the tiring event more universal appeal.
In 1998 there were four team sports included and they were Cricket, Hockey, Netball, and Rugby 7s. The latter was one of the only male-only sports at that time. New Zealand took the Gold medal in the 7’s, Fiji silver and Australia with the great David Campese in its side had to settle for bronze.
Four years later in Manchester, England the team sports were down to three with Cricket dropped from the Games. In 2006 when Melbourne played host we were back up to four team sports with Basketball coming in; Australia winning both gold medals in that sport. In Delhi in 2010 we were back to three with Basketball left out and it remained at three team sports in Glasgow in 2014. Come 2018 on the Gold Coast and Basketball was back and once again Australia claimed gold in the men’s and women’s events.
In Birmingham in 2022 the team sports climbed to five with Netball, Hockey, Rugby 7’s continuing, while Cricket made a return, and basketball became a 3×3 competition, which resulted in a more even spread of medals.
So the comparison is one that really should not need to be made. In the three team sports that have been contested at every Commonwealth Games since team sports were introduced, the Kookaburras are the only team to have won every single gold medal. In Netball the medals have been shared between Australia (4) New Zealand (2) and England (1). (NB. Netball was contested at the 1990 Games but only as a demonstration sport). As for Rugby 7’s New Zealand’s run of four straight Gold medals came to an end in Glasgow in 2014 when South Africa beat them in the final. Yet in 2018 when Women’s 7’s was introduced New Zealand roared back winning both Gold Medals. South Africa claimed the men’s in Birmingham in 2022 and Australia the Women’s.
So why was this question even raised?
Then there was another laughable piece published say that the Kookaburras record put them on a par with the Australian Women’s Cricket team.
There is no denying that both national teams have outstanding records in international competition, but the Women’s Cricketers have a long way to go to match the Kookaburras.
There is no doubt that since the dawn of the professional era in women’s cricket in 2015 and even prior to that, Australia’s women’s cricketers were a level above most of the other nations playing International cricket at the time. In these times all you can do is play the opposition you face, if they are not up to the same standard that is not your fault.
The Australian Women’s crickets have dominated the women’s game. In the 50-over format Australia have won more World Cups than all other teams combined winning the 1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005, 2013 and 2022 titles. Since the introduction of Twenty20 cricket their success has continued and they have won the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2020. Winning the Commonwealth Games Gold medal gave them a unique treble, holding both World Cups and the Games Gold medal at the same time.
The Kookaburras have a record that no Australian national team can match. They have been ranked in the top four teams in the world for over 35 consecutive years.
The team has won 10 Olympic medals in 16 Olympic appearances including one Gold medal and four silver. They have won the Hockey World Cup three times, won silver twice and bronze five times in 13 appearances. They remain one of only three nations to win the World Cup back-to-back.
When it came to the Champions Trophy, which saw the the best teams in the world go head-to head they won it 15 times including seven out of the eight last tournaments. Throw in ten silvers at the Champions Trophy and you get to realise how dominant this team has been.
When one looks at the opposition at the Commonwealth Games Australia’s record is not that surprising, of the highest ranked Commonwealth teams in Birmingham, you have to go back to the 2014 Champions Trophy for the last time England defeated the Kookaburras in a major tournament such as the World Cup, Olympics or Champions Trophy. With India you have to go back even further, to the 2002 edition of the Champions Trophy in Cologne and for New Zealand all the way back to 1976 when they defeated Australia in the Gold Medal match at the Montreal Olympic Games.
So understandably many expect a victory in this tournament which with all due respect is a lesser event than those mentioned. This is the case even though based on the latest FIH World rankings India are ranked fourth, England sixth and New Zealand eighth. To not win Gold would be a major upset, and one that was truly against the odds.
Hockey may not be played in as many countries as football, but it still has a number of teams who have been strong for key periods of time, but few have managed to remain consistently at the top for so long. It is a credit to all the past and present players, as well as the coaches, that like the All Blacks they have managed to pass on a legacy that has been maintained. No easy thing to do.
One important aspect may well have been encapsulated in a post from one of the players on social media who simply wrote “that was fun.” Even as a top athlete it is so important that you enjoy what you are doing.
One sad thing is only when Australia decides to promote nationalism at events like the Commonwealth Games do these athletes receive any recognition. Now it would appear that even that recognition has to be diluted with unjust and unnecessary comparisons being made. Rest assured the Kookaburras are used to it, its been the same for over 30 years.
