Hockey Preview - Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Australia’s flagship national hockey teams, the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos, head into the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games with their sights set well and truly on gold.

Australia has had a formidable record in hockey at the Commonwealth Games since the sport was first introduced in 1998. The Kookaburras have won all six gold medals on offer in the men’s competition, while the Hockeyroos have won four gold, one silver and a bronze.

Both teams have three of the same nations in their pool for these Games with Scotland, South Africa and Trans Tasman rivals New Zealand. The final team in the Kookaburras’ pool is the unpredictable Pakistan, with Kenya rounding out the Hockeyroos’ pool.

Despite being largely a new group with eight Commonwealth Games debutants, the Kookaburras’ imperious record sees them go into the tournament as the hunted.

Led by co-captains Eddie Ockenden (competing in his fourth Commonwealth Games) and Aran Zalewski (in his third), the Kookaburras have built a reputation of making steady improvement the longer tournaments progress. The Commonwealth Games will be no different and they are as eager as ever to create their own history, shooting for a seventh straight gold medal.

If as expected they progress through the pool stage, the world number one ranked Kookaburras could likely face world number five ranked India or sixth ranked England in the semi final for a place in the gold medal match.

Under the guidance of 1998 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Katrina Powell, a largely youthful Hockeyroos outfit enter the tournament with enormous confidence having recently claimed the bronze medal at the FIH Women’s World Cup.

The Hockeyroos will need to continue their World Cup form to finish on top of the podium.  India, New Zealand and host nation England, all ranked inside the top nine in the world, and all coming off quarter final losses at the recent World Cup, will be out for vengeance.

With 12 players competing in their first Commonwealth Games, the remaining six players were part of the team that lost the gold medal match to New Zealand in 2018 and will be determined to go one better in Birmingham.

The Hockeyroos open their campaign against Kenya on Saturday, with the Kookaburras taking on Scotland in their first match on Sunday at the University of Birmingham Hockey and Squash Centre.

Kookaburras and Hockeyroos Commonwealth Games hub.

Catch all the hockey from Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on Seven and 7plus.