Kookaburras title defence denied by England who break an 11-year hoodoo

The Kookaburras' FIH Pro League title defence has come to a heartbreaking end in London, as England claimed their first win over Australia in more than a decade with a hard-fought 2-1 victory, ending the Aussies' unbeaten European run.

The win for England came despite the Kookaburras dominating every statistic in the first half, and their Head Coach, Zak Jones, conceding he felt "deflated" at the half-time break.

But the scores were locked at nil-all, after Australia struggled to convert 11 penalty corner opportunities, had a penalty stroke miraculously saved, and a shot bounce off the post. While England came out stronger in the second half and delivered when it mattered.

The result sees the Kookaburras fall short in their pursuit of back-to-back titles, with the Netherlands now officially crowned 2024/2025 FIH Pro League champions.

"It's a shame to let that one slip today, but we've come away to learn on this tour, and second is still up for grabs. I'm very proud of what we've done so far, it's not over yet," match captain Tim Brand said post-match.

"We played well, we created a lot of chances, we were physical and we had a lot of energy, but we just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. We'll go away and look at that, it's a young group and we'll take a lot from this game."

Coming off a sensational 4-3 comeback win over England just 24 hours earlier, the Kookaburras brought energy and intensity from the opening whistle. 

They controlled possession, created repeat penalty corner chances, and won a penalty stroke in the first quarter, but English goalkeeper James Mazarelo was having a Player of the Match performance to remember, producing a brilliant diving save to deny Tom Craig from the spot.

England turned the tide in the third quarter. 

A penalty corner rebound saw England's Jack Waller open the scoring with a sharp finish that stunned the Kookaburras. 

But Australia kept pushing and finally got their reward when captain Tim Brand levelled the match with a deft tap to make it 1-1 and convert their only goal from an eventual 15 corners.

England could sense an upset, and they continued to lift in the final quarter. Once again, Waller delivered, producing a stunning second goal to give the hosts a 2-1 lead with just under 12 minutes to play. 

From there, England rode the momentum, forcing Australian goalkeeper Ash Thomas into several game-changing saves as Australia fought desperately to stay alive in the match and the title race.

In the dying moments, the Kookaburras earned back-to-back penalty corners, including one with 15 seconds on the clock, but England scrambled to hold firm, and Australia couldn't find a way through.
       
The Kookaburras remain in second place on the FIH Pro League standings, two points clear of Germany, with two matches against Germany still to play.

"We've had a big year. In the first couple of FIH Pro League stages in Sydney and Argentina, we lost a few, and we have had quite a new squad, but our expectations have always been high with this group and the ones in the past," Tim Brand added.

"Our playing style at the moment is as good as anyone's, we can match anyone in the world, and our first four games have been a reflection of that. The game just didn't fall our way today.

"Germany's a quality opposition. They've got their main lineup over there, so that will be a good challenge and we're looking forward to it." 

They now move to Berlin to take on the hosts. Game one gets underway on Wednesday morning at 1.30am AWST / 3.30am AEST, live and free on 7plus.

Kookaburras v England
Kookaburras: 1 (Tim Brand 43" (PC))
England: 2 (Jack Waller 31" & 49" (PC, FG))
Lee Valley Hockey Centre, London
  
Kookaburras: 2. Tom Craig, 5. Cooper Burns, 6. Anand Gupte, 7. Nathan Ephraums, 12. Jed Snowden (gk), 16. Tim Howard, 17. Tom Harvie, 19. Craig Marais, 20. Ky Willott, 21. Jack Welch, 25. Nathan Czinner, 26. James Collins, 27. Joel Rintala, 28. Ash Thomas (gk), 29. Tim Brand (c), 32. Jeremy Hayward, 56. Connar Otterbach, 61. Ben White

Berlin, Germany
Wednesday, June 25 – 3.30am AEST / 1.30am AWST – Germany v Kookaburras
Thursday, June 26 - 3.30am AEST / 1.30am AWST – Germany v Kookaburras