A great crowd made their way to the Perth Hockey Stadium in Perth last night to see the Kookaburras take on the Black Sticks of New Zealand in the first of two test matches before both teams head over to the Hague for the start of the World Cup.
Thanks to a brace from Simon Orchard – Not the Footy Show claiming him as ‘ours’ now he is part of the team – and Jake Whetton saw the Kookaburras victorious by four goals to one. Whetton’s two goals now giving him a great return against games played with 23 goals in 53 appearances. His first was scored from an almost impossible angle on the reverse. However Orchard’s second goal was probably the goal of the match, good interplay in the build up and then some great individual skill inside the striking circle made it a goal to savour.
The game was played on Pitch 2 at the Perth Hockey Stadium as this surface is identical to the one that will be used in the Hague, and is slightly slower than Pitch 1. This is not the ideal pitch to view hockey but it was great to see fans flocking to the stadium and lining the pitch on all sides and the banks full of spectators.
It was the ideal way in which to start the Easter Weekend and maybe Hockey Australia should look at making this an annual event. Maybe if they brought in a third team they could host a triangular tournament? Based on the attendance last night Hockey fans would support such a concept.
The Kookaburras meet the Black Sticks on Saturday evening at the same venue at 7pm. Entry is free with fans requested to donate a gold coin.
