Oceania Cup: Black Sticks stun Hockeyroos to win Oceania Cup, World Cup spot

After sealing the series on Saturday, the Kookaburras took out the third and final match on Sunday evening with another dominant 4-1 result.

It wasn’t the Australians who struck first, however.

Black Sticks captain Sam Lane found the net inside the opening minute, instantly putting the Aussies under pressure.

Trailing 1-0 at the first break, the Kookaburras hit their stride in the second quarter.

Jack Welch leveled the scores in the opening minute, blasting a penalty-corner strike through the Kiwi defense.

Just three minutes later, Ky Williot edged Australia ahead, perfectly positioned to deflect the ball past the keeper at the left post.

Blake Govers added a third right before halftime, again capitalizing from a penalty corner.

An uneventful third quarter kept the margin steady until the 45th minute, when Tim Brand sealed the result with Australia’s fourth goal.

A very proud home-town hero and co-captain of the Kookaburras Jeremy Hayward said the past week is one he’ll cherish forever.

“The week was crazy for me,” he said.

“Seeing all these familiar faces, family and friends, (playing) where I grew up (playing), this week I’ll remember forever.”

Hayward said the strong result is a reflection of the work his side has put in since the Paris Olympics and is boosted by the swath of young talent in the current squad.

“This period now is about developing,” he said.

“”We are looking forward to the (2026) World Cup, and we need to develop some world class (players).

“It’s a tough team to be in, it’s even a tough squad to be in.

“It’s building competition, it’s creating a fierce, fierce training environment.”

BLACK STICKS SHOCK HOCKEYROOS

The New Zealand Black Sticks women have shocked the Australian Hockeyroos in the Top End via the most dramatic fashion.

In the final clash in the three game series the Kiwis won via shootout, clinching the Oceania Cup and World Cup qualification in the process.

After a frenetic start, Australia quickly settled into rhythm, controlling possession for much of the opening term.

Black Sticks’ Australian-born goalkeeper Grace O’Hanlon was immense once again, repelling shot after shot to keep the scoreboard level.

Following a break in play for an NZ video review, the Kiwis continued to struggle against Australia’s relentless press and were fortunate to reach the first break unscathed.

O’Hanlon produced the save of the match early in the second quarter, swatting away a blistering Tatum Stewart strike from a set piece.

Still, the Hockeyroos kept the pressure on, peppering the Black Sticks’ goalmouth without reward.

It was Morgan Mathison who finally broke the deadlock, unleashing a rocket into the bottom corner from deep in the circle to claim her first international goal and give Australia a deserved lead before halftime.

The clash then turned fiery after the interval.

Hockeyroo Grace Young was floored by a heavy shoulder charge from defender Ella Hyatt Brown, who was shown a yellow card for the reckless challenge.

The final quarter brought late drama as the Hockeyroos defended for their lives.

The Black Sticks pinned them deep in their defensive half for nearly the entire term and were awarded six penalty corners in the space of eight minutes.

They eventually leveled the scores with seven minutes remaining, sucking the wind out of players and fans alike.

With the series tied at one win apiece and goal difference locked, the match was forced to a shootout.

Unfortunately for the home side their inaccuracy in front of the net continued to plague them in the shootout, three to NZ’s five, handing the Blacksticks the win, the cup and a ticket to the World Cup.

Penalty corners and execution in scoring positions were again, for the third game in a row, a major area of weakness for team Australia.

Speaking following the loss, Grace Stewart said her side was thoroughly deflated following the result and will need to look inwards moving forwards.

“Super disappointing,” Stewart said.

“We need to go back to Perth, get better, train together and build on those connections to score goals.

“That’s where we are at right now.

“We know we can be better and we know we have a lot of work to do to get there.”

Fortunately for Australia a World Cup berth is still alive, however it means the side will have to do it the long way.

“We’ll go the roundabout way,” Stewart said.

“Getting more international games under our belt with our new young team is an awesome opportunity for us.

“We’ll go home, work and get ready to take on that challenge.”

KOOKABURRAS REMAIN UNBEATEN

The Australian Kookaburras extended their undefeated Oceania Cup record with a commanding victory over New Zealand’s Black Sticks men in Australia’s north.

The 4-1 result brought their record to 13 series victories since 1999 in the Oceania Cup, leaving Sunday’s third and final game a dead rubber.

In similar fashion to game one, the Kookaburras hit the scoresheet early, Campbell Geddes striking in the fifth minute.

Lachlan Sharp almost doubled the lead in the 14th, only to be denied by Black Sticks goalkeeper Dominic Dixon.

Dixon then pulled off the save of the match early in the second quarter, blocking Ky Willott’s forehand strike through traffic with his left pad.

Moments later, Jonty Elmes was shown a yellow card after a reckless challenge on Aussie captain Jeremy Hayward at halfway.

Willott soon made the advantage count, stealing possession in the final third before driving into the circle and chopping home Australia’s second. He landed awkwardly after scoring, hyperextending his knee, but the goal stood after video review.

Play briefly stopped with five minutes left in the half when a patch of turf lifted from the field, before Willott returned hobbling but largely unscathed.

Willott scored his second goal — Australia’s third of the evening — late in the third, breaking the spirits of the already floundering Kiwis.

The Kookaburras dealt the final blow with 12 minutes to go, Jack Welch netting the home side’s fourth and his first of the game to seal the cup.

The Kiwis did score a consolation goal late in the piece off the stick of Elmes, making up for his earlier indiscretion.

Player of the game Williot, while stoked with his double goal performance was frustrated not to net a couple more, but was overall happy with the result nevertheless.

“I was pretty lucky. I could’ve ended up with a couple more,” he said.

“I think we’re (Kookaburras) pretty impressed with that victory.

“We were a bit disappointed (after) the previous match.

“We (didn’t) convert as well as we could’ve, but today was a lot better.”

Willott said he actually felt right as rain following his injury scare earlier in the match, putting it down to just feeling ‘weird’.

“It felt weird,” he said.

“I was like, did I just score?

“Then the knee just felt a bit average, but now it’s all good.”

The Kookaburras will be looking to rub salt into the wound Sunday 7, with a chance of a clean sweep on the cards.

Hockeyroos strike late after ref frustration boils over

The Hockeyroos overcame the Darwin heat and a stubborn New Zealand to secure a series-levelling 1-0 win on Saturday afternoon.

In gruelling conditions, the Australians took the initiative early in game two and were only denied an opening goal by the brilliance of Black Sticks goalkeeper Grace O’Hanlon – who produced a string of clutch saves.

Much like their performance in the first match, the Hockeyroos lacked finesse in front of goal, with New Zealand’s high press and quick defence repeatedly shutting them out in the final third.

A number of bizarre officiating decisions rocked the Hockeyroos camp late in the third quarter, frustration spilling over on the benches and from captain Kaitlin Nobbs, who remonstrated with the on-field official.

Soon after, the women in green and gold were awarded their seventh penalty corner but again failed to convert.

The Hockeyroos pressed hard in the final term yet still couldn’t break the deadlock until a Maria Williams tap in deflected the ball into the back of the net with four and a half minutes remaining on the clock and settled the contest.

Hockeyroos captain for game two, Claire Colwill said that the win was a well deserved one.

“It was a well fought battle out there, but we deserved the win,” Colwill said.

“Coming off game one we definitely learned a lot around what they are trying to do to us and how we could manipulate that.”

Penalty corner conversion and final touches continued to be another hindrance on the Hockeyroos attack, and is something the Colwill said the side will look at for Sunday.

“We’ve got the evidence now to look at what they’re doing,” she said.

“How they’re running. They are obviously running really good lines (off the mark) and their goalkeeper’s making some great saves. So as a group we can come together and discuss ways around that.”