Dutch masterclass denies Pickering and Reid dream debut

A Dutch masterclass has dealt the Hockeyroos a tough start in their return to international competition, as they went down to the world number one Netherlands 8–1 in front of a raucous home crowd in Amsterdam.

Two devastating surges from the Olympic champions snuffed out any chance of an Australian fightback, undoing a disciplined two-quarter stretch where the Aussies trailed by just one.

WA duo Jesse Reid and Lexie Pickering were introduced to the international stage in a baptism of fire on debut, as the Hockeyroos came into the clash with less recent match experience than the table-toppers, whose world-class domestic season wrapped up just last week.

It’s been a rollercoaster six months for Lexie, who had her dream home debut in Sydney cut short by an injury on the eve of the opening match, just weeks after making the Hockeyroos squad for the first time.

"It was a crazy experience, it really has been a while coming, so once I stepped out there, it was amazing to finally be able to soak it all in," Lexie admitted.

"I really had to lock in at the start and focus. Almost scoring on debut off Courtney Schonell's great pass would've been something else. When I dived for it, I really thought it might be the one."

It's been a whirlwind fortnight for Lexie's WA teammate Jesse, who was called up to the Hockeyroos as injury cover just weeks out from the flight to Europe.

"It was 9.30 in the morning on an average Tuesday at work and I got a text message from Triny, asking if I could call her, I was secretly hoping I'd get the call up and I did, it's been incredibly exciting," Jesse recalled.

"The Dutch are a tough team to come up against for my debut! It's definitely a higher intensity than I've ever played before... and I've never played in front of a crowd that huge and that loud before! But I couldn't be more stoked with it.

"We obviously have a lot to review and we need to be better at holding possession. You can't win the game or score goals if you don't have the ball, so we will need to work on our possession around the back midfield, and also on sustaining our attacking pressure in the attacking 25. We'll come out tougher."

Roared on by a packed home crowd, the Dutch wasted no time stamping their authority, striking twice in quick succession, with Yibbi Jansen igniting her ninth international hat trick in a ruthless opening blitz.

Skipper Pien Sanders made her mark with the Netherlands’ second goal, but her impact cut both ways. A yellow card in the second half gave Australia a lifeline as they trailed by two and Mariah Williams didn’t miss the chance.

A brilliant reverse stick shot sailed past the keeper into the back left of the net, rewarding the Hockeyroos for a composed period of play at the end of the second half, where WA goalkeeper Aleisha Power proved pivotal, making three vital saves.

Australia had full control of the start of the third quarter, but any hopes of a comeback were short-lived when a green card handed the Netherlands all of the momentum they needed. 

Holland pulled out a well-executed penalty corner to restore their two-goal cushion, and soon after, a swift counter-attack saw them take a 4–1 lead heading into the final quarter, before they executed an onslaught in the fourth to finish the game 8-1.

"I wouldn't say one thing cost us the loss, we clearly need to tidy up defensively, but I'm really proud of the team and the way they handled certain periods of play tonight," Hockeyroos Captain Kaitlin Nobbs told 7plus.

"We need to turn this result around quickly and focus on shutting down their fast counter-attack, while also using ours, which can be just as fast, to our advantage tomorrow night." 

The Hockeyroos have the chance to answer back, when they return to Wagener Hockey Stadium for a re-match against the Netherlands at 8.30pm AWST / 10.30pm AEST on Sunday night, live and free on 7plus.

Full FIH Pro League fixtures & results

Hockeyroos v Netherlands
Hockeyroos: 1 (Mariah Willams 31")
Netherlands: 8 (Yibbi Jansen 2", 43" & 47", Pien Sanders 3", Marijn Veen 45", Joosje Burg 46", Frederique Matla 54", Luna Fokke 58")
Wagener Hockey Stadium, Amsterdam

Hockeyroos: 1. Claire Colwill, 3. Morgan Mathison, 4. Amy Lawton, 5. Grace Young, 7. Aleisha Power (gk), 12. Greta Hayes, 13. Hattie Shand, 15. Kaitlin Nobbs (c), 16. Courtney Schonell, 18. Alana Kavanagh, 20. Karri Somerville, 21. Jade Smith, 22. Tatum Stewart, 24. Mariah Williams, 25. Zoe Newman (gk), 26. Lexie Pickering, 30. Grace Stewart, 45. Jesse Reid

Hockeyroos FIH Pro League UK/Europe Tour Schedule

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Sunday, 8 June  – 10.30pm AEST / 8.30pm AWST – Netherlands v Hockeyroos

London, England
Saturday, 14 June – 8.00pm AEST / 6.00pm AWST – Hockeyroos v India
Sunday, 15 June – 7.30pm AEST / 5.30pm AWST – India v Hockeyroos
Tuesday, 17 June – 8.00pm AEST / 6.00pm AWST - England v Hockeyroos
Thursday, 19 June – 2.45am AEST / 12.45am AWST - England v Hockeyroos

Berlin, Germany
Sunday, 22 June – 12.30am AEST / 10.30pm AWST (Saturday, 21 June) – Germany v Hockeyroos
Sunday, 22 June – 10.00pm AEST / 8.00pm AWST – Germany v Hockeyroos