Hockeyroos captain Madonna Blyth announces shock retirement

THE Hockeyroos’ meek departure from the Olympic Games just 16 hours after the Kookaburras was heightened by the shock retirement of their skipper.

Australia's Madonna Blyth has announced her shock retirement from hockey.

THE Hockeyroos’ meek departure from the Olympic Games just 16 hours after the Kookaburras was heightened by the shock retirement of captain Madonna Blyth at just 30.

Like Kookaburras Jamie Dwyer before her, the woman who scored the 2014 Commonwealth Games winning goal has decided her body won’t hold up until the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

With a young side that blooded 12 Olympic first-timers she was expected to be the midfield rock despite the planned departure of coach Adam Commens.

Now Commens and Blyth are gone and the departing head coach conceded Australia lacked a world-class striker to put away the plentiful chances of this campaign.

Australia's Madonna Blyth, right, celebrates with teammates after a goal.

Australia’s women had rocketed from seventh to third in the world, with Commens bullish they could win their first medal in four Olympics.

But their 4-2 defeat against arch rival New Zealand couldn’t have been more comprehensive, with Australia’s two sides both missing a medal for the first time since the 1984 Olympics.

An Australian hockey program that had hoped to bask in the glow of Olympic success is suddenly counting the cost of two failed campaigns.

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Blyth is the most-capped Australian female hockey player but never won an Olympic medal in her three attempts.

“I think that’s it for me. Definitely the last Olympics and I think that’s it. I put everything I had into the last six months leading up to Rio always knowing it would be the last,’’ she said.

“It’s a disappointing way to go out but that’s just the way it is sometimes, you can’t have fairytale finishes when you want them.

“There is the lure there (of 2018) and at the moment I will go home and reassess but I am pretty sure this is it.”

Madonna Blyth in action.

Former Kookaburra and current Hockeyroos assistant coach Jason Duff will take over the side on an interim basis.

Against world No.4 New Zealand the Hockeyroos never looked in the hunt, the lethal finishing of the Kiwis an extreme contrast to Australia’s missed chances.

Olympic debutante Kathryn Slattery scored a classy penalty corner goal then a consolation goal with 80 seconds left, but Australia was comprehensively outclassed.

“It’s an awesome group, the 12 debutantes here have the right attitude to go through to the next Olympic Games and this team has a huge future,’’ Commens said.

“We don’t have an out-and-out natural goalscoring striker. Kathryn Slattery has the potential to fill that role and Maria Williams can develop but if you look at the top sides, you need to have that as a world class team.”

Commens will go to work in Belgian hockey to be with his wife and young family, adamant Duff can do the job fulltime.

“Jason Duff is going to fill the role as the interim head coach in the next few months,” Commens said. “He has been our chief tactician, he has a wonderful knowledge of the game and has been around for 12 years and he has the experience to take over.”

Originally published as Hockeyroos captain Madonna Blyth announces shock retirement