Australian hockey legend Jamie Dwyer commands
enormous respect across the globe. He makes people sit up and make notice of
him not just with what he does with his hockey stick, but also what he says in
public domain. His latest take on the Kookaburras scouting for a ‘foreign’
coach to replace current coach Ric Charlesworth is sure to grab the eyeballs.
It may be worth recalling that Ric Charlesworth is set to call it quits
after the 2014 Commonwealth Games in August. The highly proficient forward was speaking on the same in Sydney Morning Herald.
Dwyer’s latest statement has grabbed eyeballs
considering the fact that the Aussies men’s hockey team never had a foreign
coach. The celebrated striker told the Australian media that the country has no
dearth of quality home-bred coaches, but sees no harm in looking for a ‘foreign’
coach to supplant Charlesworth who has had outstanding credentials as
Kookaburras coach.
Charlesworth will be keyed up to guide Australia to glory in the 2014 World Cup in The Hague – a repeat of what the team achieved under his tutelage at the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi.
The 35-year-old believes replacing Charlesworth won’t be an easy task given his exploits at the helm. Dwyer mentioned the names of current assistant coaches Paul Gaudoin, Graham Reid, former assistants Colin Batch and Mark Hager (current New Zealand women’s hockey team coach) as possible replacements.
Surely, the talk of a 'foreign touch' for the Kookaburras is unlikely to subside over the coming months - at least until the new man takes charge from Charlesworth - probably in the 2014 FIH Champions Trophy - to be held in Bhubaneshwar, India in December.
(The writer can be contacted at: suhridbarua@gmail.com)
(The writer can be contacted at: suhridbarua@gmail.com)
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