The Hockeyroos - Australian Womens Hockey Team

The Hockeyroos

The Hockeyroos have got to be one of the most successful Australian sports teams ever. They have two olympic gold medals to their name - 1988 in Soel, 1996 in Atlanta. They also won the World Cup in Dublin in 1994, and have won the last four Champions Trophies. Pretty impressive hey?!!

For a full run down on the Hockeyroos results visit Women's Hockey Australia page.

Every time I watch a big sporting event like the Olympic Games I become converted to a sport that I never really took notice of before.
For the Atlanta Olympics that sport was hockey. I couldn't get enoght of it!!

Jackie Pereira doing it for Australia in Atlanta

The Olympics provided us with two of the best goals I have seen in my short time of watching hockey - both performed by Trini Powell.

 Trini Powell    Juliet Haslam    Jenny Morris

The first goal was in the round game against South Korea. Australia had been leading by 2 - 0 at half time in dubious circumstances. However the South Koreans managed to stage a mighty comeback during the second half taking a 3 - 2 lead.
Australia was trying in vein to level the match - with a penalty corner lob shot from Jenny Morris coming desperately close, and a flurried scramble in front of goal being shut down by the South Korean goalie.
Then, with only 10 seconds on the clock, Juliet Haslam had the ball outside the penalty area. She fired the ball in near the goal, eluding three South Korean defenders where it found Trini Powell. Half on her knees, she chipped the ball over the goalies head for a goal!!
The team went mad!!! I went mad!!! It was great!!!

The Gold Medal Game!!

This was it. The big game we had all been waiting for. It was a re-match against South Korea.
Australia was leading comfortably at 2 - 1 when, you guessed it, Trini Powell came up with another amazing goal.
She had the ball just past the half way line and started running toward goal - and just kept running - dodging three defenders while she was at it and swung her stick propelling the ball into the top corner of the net with the back of her hockey stick. I think the commentators words sum up the feat perfectly....."Most people can't do that with a golf club, let alone a hockey stick!!"
At the end of it, Australia had won its second gold in women's Olympic hockey!!

The girls after receiving their medals

Well there's not much more I can say but ....

LEGENDS!!