Kookaburras complete Trans-Tasman sweep
Published Sun 05 Jun 2022
The Kookaburras have ended the Trans-Tasman Series with a 3-1 victory over the Black Sticks in the fourth and final match in Auckland.
After a slow start by their standards, the Kookaburras got going late in the opening quarter.
Blake Govers opened the scoring in the 11th minute, followed by two goals in as many minutes from Tom Wickham and Jeremy Hayward early in the second quarter.
The home side hit back before the main break to bring the game to life, with Hayden Phillips capitalising on a loose ball to make it 3-1.
In the second half, the Black Sticks played what was possibly their best half of hockey throughout the series, keeping the Kookaburras scoreless and not conceding any penalty corners.
Phillips continued to cause headaches for the Kookaburras defence but he could not break through again as the half-time score line remained at the final whistle.
Govers’ first-quarter strike meant he finished as the tournament’s equal-leading goal-scorer alongside teammate Nathan Ephraums with five.
In his post series assessment, Kookaburras Head Coach Colin Batch said it had been a competitive week against the Black Sticks.
“I know we’ve won the games, but we have still got a lot out of the series,” said Batch.
“It is always good to play another top nation so we are learning a lot from it.”
The Kookaburras return to Perth to continue preparations for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, where they attempt to claim a remarkable seventh-straight gold medal.
Match Details
New Zealand 1 (Phillips 25’)
Kookaburras 3 (Govers 11’, Wickham 18’, Hayward 19’)
@ National Hockey Centre, Auckland
Kookaburras: 5.Tom Wickham, 6.Matt Dawson, 7.Nathan Ephraums, 9.Jacob Anderson, 10.Josh Beltz, 11.Eddie Ockenden (c), 13.Blake Govers, 14.Dylan Martin, 15.Josh Simmonds, 16.Tim Howard, 17.Aran Zalewski (c), 19.Craig Marais, 22.Flynn Ogilvie, 23.Daniel Beale, 29.Tim Brand, 30.Andrew Charter (gk), 32.Jeremy Hayward
Unused substitute: 18.Ben Rennie (gk)
