Australia’s Hockeyroos medal hopes take a hit after loss to USA

HOCKEYROOS coach Adam Commens has launched a withering attack on hockey’s officialdom after a second straight loss, labelling Team USA a “protected species”.

USA players celebrate after scoring against Australia.

UPDATE: HOCKEYROOS coach Adam Commens has launched a withering attack on hockey’s officialdom after a second straight loss, labelling Team USA a “protected species”.

Australia’s women’s hockey side was left reeling after a disastrous 2-1 defeat, with Australian players constantly sent off for poor tackles and minor infractions.

Commens claims both of his team’s losses have been influenced by poor one-sided umpiring, with Kathryn Slattery scoring Australia’s only goal with nine players on the field.

Australia could be saved from a quick Olympic exit only by the quarter-finals stage introduced for Rio, needing to win two of three remaining games.

Australia will be favoured to beat India and Japan but finishing fourth in its pool would likely see it take on Olympic champions Holland in a quarter-final.

Captain Madonna Blyth was sent off twice - for a stick check and deliberately kicking the ball - while a nasty Georgie Parker tackle deserved the yellow card it received.

But Commens said Elena Eskina and Carolina de la Fuente constantly overlooked similar USA infractions as Australia fell to the team that beat it for bronze at June’s Champion’s Trophy.

“We had more shots than them, we had more penalty corners than them,’’ he said.

“We played with nine players for five minutes and ten players for ten minutes and you can’t let that happen in international hockey.

“We had multiple green cards so add on 15 minutes (with ten or less players).

Australia’s Georgie Parker copped a yellow card for this foul on the USA’S Michelle Kasold.

“They didn’t get one green card, they hit the ball away constantly, stood over the ball - protected species.

“And it’s very frustrating that right from the start of the match things were going against us.

“I am just frustrated because the girls deserve better than that.”

Commens said a yellow card against Edwina Bone in the first loss to Great Britain should have been an Australian free hit - but instead the Hockeyroos conceded a short-corner goal.

However accurate his assessment, an American side which had knocked off world no.2 Argentina would have felt it was a worthy winner.

Just as she did in the Champions Trophy bronze medal win, American keeper Jackie Briggs starred with two quality saves from Jodie Kenny drag flicks.

And Australia’s lethal finishing was absent, that single goal coming from a shock breakaway while Blyth and Parker were benched.

Mariah Williams drew the keeper out, and Slattery was waiting at the back post to tuck the goal home against the play late in the third term.

Australia takes on India in its next pool match on Thursday morning (AEST) before finishing its pool games against Argentina and Japan.

Commens said he could refer his issues to the Olympic umpires managers, hopeful Australia’s luck might change.

“The ten-minute(foul) was very clear, if you take someone down and you go to ground that’s fine and Madonna stuck her footy out so that’s probably OK,’’ he said.

“It’s more that similar things are happening against us and they are not getting pulled up and as a result we are playing against a full compliment the whole time.”

“In the first half USA took the ball ten metres ahead in behind our defence from where the free hit was to be taken from and got a penalty corner,’’ he said.

“Come on! And in the second half we tried to do the same and got pulled back ten metres. Those are moments that turn games.”

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Originally published as Australia’s Hockeyroos medal hopes take a hit after loss to USA