Dream start for the Hockeyroos, as Kookaburras suffer narrow loss to Spain
Published Thu 06 Feb 2025
The Hockeyroos have made a statement at the FIH Pro League opener in Sydney, beating Spain 4-1 in their first encounter for 2025.
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Spain arrived with extra confidence, fresh off a shootout win over Olympic silver medallists China on Tuesday night and they were motivated to continue their winning start.
But any momentum the Spaniards thought they had came to a swift end as Jade Smith's stick found the ball amid a scramble in the circle to open the scoring inside the first eight minutes.
The Queenslander's whirlwind six months intensified as she ran out for Australia alongside her QLD teammate, Morgan Mathison, for the very first time.
Spain found a way to equalise before the halftime break, but the powerhouse WA duo of Penny Squibb and Courtney Schonell ensured the Hockeyroos would take a healthy two-goal lead into the final quarter.
Courtney's trademark finishing touch capping a dream outing on her return to the Australian set-up, 532 days after she last starred for the Hockeyroos in 2023 and six months after she returned from a gruelling injury that ended her Paris Olympic Games campaign.
"I'm proud of this group to start like that," Penny said post-match.
"It's an exciting time for us. We have four years now leading into the next Olympics, and that was a great start. Getting a goal on the board early through Jade was fantastic, and feeling the energy out there and witnessing everyone return on form, with this group anything's possible."
It was only fitting NSW hometown hero Mariah Williams, embarking on her fourth Olympic pursuit, sealed the win by finishing off a beautiful pass from Grace Young with just a minute left on the clock.
"This is absolutely brilliant, I love coming home and playing in front of my hometown, not only is it in my state but in Australia, the country that we love playing in front of, I'm super happy it's back here," Mariah said.
"We've really only had a week of training together so it's fantastic to come away with the win. Every year I think to myself 'oh my' how am I going to keep up with these youngsters that come through, they've got a whole new repertoire of skills, speed and agility.
"It's exciting we have our 2025 World Cup qualifier in Darwin at the end of this year, which is really important and we have a lot to learn before then."
"We'll review and put that match behind us quickly," Penny agreed.
"China, who we play tomorrow night, is a different team, and they're a quality team too, we'll need to play just as well, if not better to get a good result."
New Kookaburras Head Coach Mark Hager marked the start of the League's return to Sydney, unleashing eight new debutants as his new side opened their LA 2028 Olympic journey with a 1-2 loss to Spain at Sydney Olympic Park.
A firing Kookaburras outfit couldn't hold off the visitors, who charged to a narrow win following their 2-4 loss to the world number one Netherlands 24 hours earlier.
A goal early on seemed imminent, as the Kookaburras found chances through the striker combination of Liam Henderson, Cooper Burns and Ky Willott, as they persisted with steely grit and determination.
They were eventually rewarded, though it was little consolation, as NSW striker Ky scored in the 58th minute to put Australia on the board.
"It's a real learning experience for a lot of these guys. Today, we had four Olympians out of the 18 we had at the Paris Olympics, so that's a big turnover," Mark said post-match.
"It's a big learning curve for these young ones and tomorrow, we are playing the Paris Olympic gold medallists and it will be a tough road for us but it's one that I know these guys are cherishing and they're upbeat about the opportunity to be here playing the best."
The Paris Olympic quarterfinal rematch double header gets underway at 5.30pm AEDT this evening when the Kookaburras take on the Netherlands before the Hockeyroos face China at 7.30pm AEDT.
