Kookaburras Coaches
Colin Batch
Position: Head Coach
Hometown: Melbourne, Victoria
Appointed: December 2016
International Playing Career: 1979-1990 (175 appearances, 61 goals)
International Coaching Career:
2001-2008 Kookaburras Assistant Coach
2009-2011 KHC Dragons (Belgium)
2010-2012 Belgium National Men’s National Team
2012-2016 New Zealand Men’s National Team
2017-present Kookaburras Head Coach
The 251st player capped for the Kookaburras, Colin was an exceptional player who made 175 appearances for Australia, including several years as Vice-Captain. During Batch’s playing career, he was a member of the gold medal winning team at the 1986 World Cup and twice a bronze medallist at the 1982 and 1990 World Cups. He also competed at two Olympics and was selected for a third in 1980 but the team did not travel to Moscow due to the international boycott.
With an astute understanding of the game and skills to match during his playing days, Colin turned to coaching after hanging up his hockey stick. Colin’s first coaching experience on the international scene came when he was an Assistant Coach for the Kookaburras from 2001-2008, during which time the Kookaburras won Olympic gold (2004) and bronze (2008).
He then coached club hockey in Belgium from 2009-2011, during which time he was appointed Head Coach of Belgium’s national men’s team in 2010, holding down the role until 2012.
He then went on to coach New Zealand from 2012-2016. An opening for the Kookaburras top job opened up after the Rio Olympics. Colin was appointed in December and he has guided the team to regular tournament wins and constantly among the top two men’s hockey nations in the world.
Colin guided Australia to World League Final glory in late 2017 where they secured the number one ranking. The Kookaburras remained at the top following gold medals in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Champions Trophy, before a bronze medal at the 2018 World Cup (where they lost the semi final to the Netherlands in a shootout before defeating Great Britain 8-1 in the bronze medal match) dropped them to second.
In 2019 after the Kookaburras won the inaugural FIH Pro League and another Oceania Cup, Colin was named the FIH Men’s Coach of the Year. In 2021 he was inducted into the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame.
A mentor to the two national assistant coaches and men’s National Junior Coach, Colin provides leadership and direction to not only the national programs but also the Hockey Australia talent pathway. His engagement with National Training Centre coaches ranges from seminars/workshops to regular direct communication.
Colin is part of the international coaches network for men’s hockey who regularly discuss ways of improving the sport. Together with assistant coaches Anthony Potter and Rob Hammond, Colin is constantly searching on how the Kookaburras can improve as they undertake their continual mission of being the world’s best hockey team.
Tournament History as Kookaburras Head Coach
2023 FIH Pro League
2023 World Cup
2022 Commonwealth Games (Gold Medal)
2020 Olympic Games (Silver Medal)
2020 FIH Pro League*
2019 FIH Pro League (Gold Medal)
2018 World Cup (Bronze Medal)
2018 Champions Trophy (Gold Medal)
2018 Commonwealth Games (Gold Medal)
2018 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (Gold Medal)
2017 World League Final (Gold Medal)
2017 Oceania Cup (Gold Medal)
2017 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (Silver Medal)
*Incomplete season due to COVID
Rob Hammond
Position: Men’s Assistant Coach
Hometown: Townsville, Queensland
Playing Career: 2001 – 2014
International Coaching Career: 2016 – Present
Rob was a member of the Kookaburras from 2001 to 2014, playing 256 games in a decorated career. The Townsville native was part of Australia’s 2004 Athens Olympics gold medal-winning side and won Olympic bronze in 2008. He also won gold at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
Hammond was appointed Senior Men’s Assistant Coach in February 2017, after spells as WA Diamonds head coach and as the Burras assistant coach for the 2016 Junior World Cup.
Anthony Potter
Position: Men’s Assistant Coach
Hometown: Cairns, Queensland
Indoor playing Career: 1990 – 2003
International Coaching Career: 2017 – Present
Anthony gained an abundance of international coaching experience over the past 15 years having coached across variety roles in the Dutch and Belgium national leagues as well as being an assistant coach for the Belgian Under-21 National teams.
Potter was formerly a member of the Australian Indoor team from 1990 to 2003 where he reached 90 caps and was also previously the National Indoor coach from 2012 to 2015.