Kookaburra Tom Craig is set to return to the national team after serving drug ban
Banned Kookaburra Tom Craig is set for a return to the national team and has spoken out for the first time since his Paris Olympics drug bust, revealing that he feared his career was over.
Hockey
Don't miss out on the headlines from Hockey. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Kookaburra Tom Craig admits he feared his Paris cocaine arrest had ended his international career after he was finally recalled to represent Australia in its Pro League title defence.
Speaking for the first time about his lengthy Kookaburras ban, the 29-year-old labelled watching his teammates play without him as “heartbreaking”.
Craig was arrested by Paris police while trying to buy cocaine after the Kookaburras’ quarter finals loss and handed a 12-month ban by Hockey Australia with six months suspended.
He was able to meet “conduct and behavioural requirements” that allowed him to return, with Craig in Europe playing club hockey but set to meet up with new coach Mark Hager’s side for eight games starting on June 14 in Antwerp, Belgium.
Think you’re a sports fanatic? Take the test. Play daily trivia for FREE on CODE Sports. Sign up here >
Craig did not go into the details of his arrest or fallout of the controversy, which took the gloss off a series of golden days for the Paris Olympic team which won 18 gold medals.
He was released without charge but admitted afterwards he had made a “terrible mistake”, saying he was truly sorry to have embarrassed the entire Paris Olympic team.
He admitted on Wednesday he was not sure if he would ever return to the national side given the controversy.
“It is going to feel amazing for sure. I am super grateful to be getting this opportunity again,” he said.
“I definitely wasn’t sure if it was going to happen for me and fortunately it has so I just really can’t wait to be out there.
“Sitting there watching the boys play in Sydney (in the February Pro League leg) which was the first game for the Kookaburras for a while with a completely new squad, it was equal parts heartbreaking that I couldn’t be out there and also exhilarating what the next four years is going to hold for the team. To see the excitement in the boys and to adopt a new role in the team, there is heaps to look forward to.”
Hockey Australia CEO David Pryles told this masthead of Craig’s selection: “Tom was handed a lengthy suspension, and he’s worked really hard over the last ten months, completing all of the mandatory training and education programs required of him during his sanction.
“Tom’s learned a lot of lessons since the day I saw him face-to-face in Paris last August, and he brings valuable learnings back to the Kookaburras that will only contribute to the culture that Mark Hager and the new squad continue to build.”
Lawyer Craig, the partner of Australian Kookaburras player Alice Arnott, had a stint this year in the Indian IPL and is now playing with the Hamburg Polo Club.
“I can’t really put into words how grateful I am for everyone who has supported me in the last 10 months, to everyone here at Polo to my friends and family back home,” he said.
“And I think keeping gratitude front of mind will be a good focus.”
Australia sits sixth in the Pro League rankings but had wins over Olympic champions the Netherlands and No.2 ranked Belgium in February and are only four points off the top of the table.
Star striker Blake Govers and midfielder Lachlan Sharp are also returning to Hager’s squad.
“The biggest bonus for us is having the full squad together again, with the exception of a few who were unavailable for selection due to injury,” Hager said.
“It’s the first tour since I’ve been at the helm where we have the luxury of a near full squad. We’ve had players in the India Hockey League, playing in Europe or being managed through injury, so to have a high percentage of the squad in Europe is a big plus.
“This is a great group, with plenty of speed, particularly through the midfield, along with a lot of experience, but we know we need to hit the ground running when we arrive in Belgium.”
KOOKABURRAS squad: Davis Atkin, Josh Beltz, Hayden Beltz, Tim Brand, Cooper Burns, Tom Craig, James Collins, Nathan Czinner, Nathan Ephraums, Blake Govers, Anand Gupte, Tom Harvie, Jeremy Hayward, Liam Henderson, Tim Howard, Craig Marais, Joel Rintala, Lachlan Sharp, Jed Snowden (goalkeeper), Ash Thomas (goalkeeper), Jack Welsh, Ky Willott.
More Coverage
Originally published as Kookaburra Tom Craig is set to return to the national team after serving drug ban
Rintala granted late reprieve for Kookaburras’ first LA squad
Injury prone hockey star Joel Rintala has been granted a late reprieve for the Kookaburras’ first squad on the path to the LA Games, as two sets of siblings are locked in. FULL SQUAD.
Athletes or the boardroom? Which women really wield power in sport
Women hold some of the most powerful positions in Australian sport - and boast some of the country’s most recognisable athletes. But who really holds the power?