ORANGE’S Edwina Bone and the Hockeyroos turned it on in the final of the Investec World League round three tournament in London, recording a comprehensive 3-0 victory over hosts England in the early hours of Monday morning (AEST).
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The uncompromising victory in the ‘Ashes’ clash ensures Australia’s qualification for both the fourth round of the World League, and the 2014 World Cup in the Netherlands.
From the first minute Australia took control of the match, courtesy of a high-tempo, pressing game plan and though the result was never in doubt the deficit could have been larger had Australia not had a goal disallowed either side of half time.
Kellie White combined with Ashleigh Nelson on the back post to open the scoring early in the first half, before White herself doubled Australia’s lead after good lead-up work from former Orange star Bone, who was also instrumental in the lead up to the final, starting every game.
Despite Jodie Schulz and Casey Eastham’s goals being disallowed either side of the break, the Hockeyroos dominated the second half with Emily Smith adding a third goal 10 minutes from full-time to seal the victory
After the game, head coach Adam Commens heaped praise on his entire squad, highlighting his team’s defensive effort in the win.
“We played fantastically well,” he said.
“We were consistent throughout and they (England) only had one shot at goal and no penalty corners.”
Commens also noted the impressive performances of his younger players both during the tournament, and in the lead up, acknowledging the gold medal’s importance in the team’s development.
“This really gives us a lot of belief that we belong in the top echelons of world hockey,” he said.
“We’ve improved a lot over the last couple of years and I was particularly impressed with the younger players we brought here to London,”
Despite the emphatic nature of the win, Commens’ conceded that victory in the fourth round tournament, and the World Cup, would not come so easily.
“It’s really satisfying to get the win,” he said.
“Although to win the fourth round (in Argentina in November) we’ll need to be better than over here.”
The Hockeyroos went through the tournament undefeated, overcoming South Africa (5-0) and Spain (1-0), and drawing with England (1-1) in the group stages before defeating USA (4-1) in the quarter-finals and China (4-1) in semi-finals.
