The Sports Factor

One of Australia's most successful sporting units is our women's hockey team, the Hockeyroos. So it's a serious team, with serious expectations of not only doing well, but quite possibly bagging the big one in Beijing.

Transcript

This transcript was typed from a recording of the program. The ABC cannot guarantee its complete accuracy because of the possibility of mishearing and occasional difficulty in identifying speakers.

Time to think Beijing.

At the 2000 Sydney Games the Opening Ceremony drew attention to the contribution of Australian women in the course of Olympic history. And there were some seriously big names involved: Betty Cuthbert, Dawn Fraser, Raelene Boyle and of course Cathy Freeman.

Recently, women in swimming, rowing and basketball have kept the Australian flag flying, and Beijing looks like maintaining that tradition. But the competition will be fierce, especially from the home team.

One of Australia's most successful sporting units is our women's hockey team, the Hockeyroos.

Three Olympic Golds, two World Cups, multiple World Championships make them positively glitter in the trophy stakes.

So it's a serious team, with serious expectations of not only doing well, but quite possibly bagging the big one.

Emily Halliday is part of the leadership group of the Hockeyroos, and she spoke to me from the team's training camp in Perth.

Emily Halliday: Well it's something that I've always dreamed of as a kid, coming up watching and playing hockey since I was about 5 or 6, and always been interested in watching all the successes that certain Hockeyroo teams have had at other Olympics, champions trophies and World Cups, so a lot to live up to, so every time you put on the green and gold suit, you've definitely got a lot of tradition and a lot of expectation I suppose, riding on your backs to perform, because of what's happened in the past.

Mick O'Regan: When you were growing up, and I imagine playing in all sorts of under-age elite competitions, did you have favourite Hockeyroos players? Were you an Alyson Annan fan, or a Rechelle Hawkes fan?

Emily Halliday: I was actually sort of a Rechelle Hawkes; I played for W.A. with her, which was great to be able to play with someone of that calibre at a State level, as well as if you played club against her and stuff like that. So it was great to be around people like that, especially with the AIS being over here in Perth, you sort of bump shoulders with a few of them all the time.

Mick O'Regan: Well you're in the leadership group of the Hockeyroos now; why is it so important do you think, to be exposed to those older players? What do younger members of the team want from you, do you think?

Emily Halliday: I think you sort of lead by example as such. It's not always what you say, it's what you do, more often than not, and I think especially I'm not a huge talker off the field and stuff, I think it's more what I bring to the training track and to the games and stuff, and just trying to lead by example and they sort of look up to that and try and mirror you I suppose.

Mick O'Regan: Is it a question of trying to induce calm into young players? For example, debutantes who are off to the Olympics to play for Australia for the first time. Is that a difficult position for you to be in? Do you feel as though you need to be saying things to them, or showing them the ropes?

Emily Halliday: Sort of. I mean everyone's very excited, and I still think I'm going to be just as nervous and excited as a few of them when I hopefully step on to the field as well. So it's always exciting and there is a certain level of nervousness that I suppose you can try and help them, talk them around and stuff. But I think we're all going to be just as nervous.

Mick O'Regan: Do you know, Emily, the draw for the Olympics?

Emily Halliday: We know a rough draw, yes, of who we play. I think we've got Korea first up, and I think our last game was against The Netherlands, so it's going to be a tough draw.

Mick O'Regan: Indeed. I don't imagine there are easy games, but a final game against The Netherlands in a pool competition, that's really almost as hard as it gets. Holland would be one of the major favourites in the women's competition?

Emily Halliday: Yes, definitely, over the last four years they've been at the forefront of women's hockey, and people are sort of trying to catch them. So to play them in the last game, hopefully it doesn't come down to the last game to have to win points, but if we do, you know, that's something that we're going to have to try and do.

Mick O'Regan: What do you think characterises Australia's style of play?

Emily Halliday: I think it's you never give up, never say die sort of attitude. Like we can be down in games and come back and win and stuff. We don't give up, it's very different to the European style of game, they play a lot from the back out, but we're a very attacking side. I think that's the main difference between us and Europe, and even China and Asian countries like that. Like we're very attacking.

Mick O'Regan: And ball possession is obviously critical, but is that a feature of the Australian style of play? Long periods of maintaining possession?

Emily Halliday: Probably not as much as the Europeans. They play with the ball at the back a lot more and try and hold possession of it more, but we're I suppose a bit more run and gun and have a bit more of a dib.

Mick O'Regan: 'Bit more of a dib', what a wonderful way of putting it. Now, talking of the Olympics as we are, when you're at the Olympics, because you're in a team sport and the draw often extends, if you're successful and get into the Medal rounds, pretty much right through the duration of the Games. Is that an odd feeling? Is that an odd situation to be in, that you have to keep on training, keep on preparing, and I imagine all sorts of people are finishing their events, and are able to relax and enjoy the Games Village and the actual events. Do the Hockeyroos get to do that?

Emily Halliday: When I was in Athens, and even at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and stuff, you find that we continue pretty much from the first day. We've got our first game on the first day, and we play right up until just before the closing ceremony. So the swimmers finish after maybe even the first day or two, and then they're trying to celebrate or commiserate, or whatever they're doing, so it's hard to try and keep focused with a lot of stuff that goes on in the Village.

Mick O'Regan: Do you ever have to tell people to shut up?

Emily Halliday: The swimmers are actually a bit intimidating, so I don't know if anyone's ever actually told them to shut up.

Mick O'Regan: No, I can imagine the festival when you think of the rich history they have, too. OK, if all goes well, and Australia gets to the serious end of the competition and the Medal rounds, who do you think are the most likely competitors that you'll face?

Emily Halliday: We've got Holland in our pool; in the other pool there's Argentina and Germany, so I think those three countries, including ourselves, will be more than likely up there, but you know, you never know an Olympic Games, you pull a few wins out of the bag doing the rounds, and anyone can get up there. So it's going to be a very tight competition.

Mick O'Regan: And what about internal competition? For example, the other defenders, is there tight competition for spots in the team?

Emily Halliday: Yes, definitely. Our team gets announced at the start of next week, and I'd like to take the whole squad of 25 along, but unfortunately only 16 of us can go. It is very competitive and you never know which way it's going to go. You've just got to keep trying.

Mick O'Regan: Hockeyroo, Emily Halliday.

Guests

Emily Halliday
Member of 'The Hockeyroos'.

Presenter

Mick O'Regan

Producer

Andrew Davies