Eddie Ockenden opens up on his future and earliest hockey memories

Tasmanian hockey legend Eddie Ockenden believes the Kookaburra’s return to Hobart has come at the “perfect time” as he recalled his own childhood memories ahead of the FIH Pro League.

Tasmanian hockey hero Eddie Ockenden is looking forward to representing the Kookaburras in front of a parochial crowd and isn’t contemplating that this could be his last series donning the green in gold in Hobart.

A glistening career spanning 408 international games showed no signs of slowing down at the recent World Cup, with Ockenden inspirational in the knockout matches.

But the soon-to-be 36-year-old appreciates his career is closer to the end than the start, and after slipping to fourth at the World Cup, his eyes are firmly on winning an elusive gold medal in Paris 2024, his likely fifth Olympic Games.

“I think it’s the perfect time to play again after the World Cup and it’s nice to be back with the team and working towards some new goals together,” Ockenden said ahead of facing Argentina at 7pm on Tuesday night.

“Playing in Australia is awesome for us and Hobart’s particularly personal and amazing for me as it brings back lots of memories and I have immense support from the hockey community here that has really helped me in my career, so it’s just a joy to be here.”

Eddie Ockenden, Photo: Grant Treeby

Ockenden can recall being a ball kid, aged eleven years, when another Tasmanian favourite Matthew Wells debuted for the Kookaburras in Hobart in 1998 and can draw similar comparisons to Maddi Brooks debut against the world number two Argentina from 5pm.

“I was a ball kid when the Kookaburras played the Netherlands, which were two brilliant teams and as an 11-year-old, it felt very special to be there and I really wanted to be on the ground,” Ockenden recalls.

Twenty-five years later, Ockenden will take the field with fellow Tasmanians Josh Beltz (82 caps) and Jack Welch (16 caps), as they hope to see off two side’s that gave them plenty of headaches in recent clashes.

Tasmanians Eddie Ockenden and Josh Beltz.

In a uniquely Tasmanian story, the latter pair are close family friends having grown up in Old Beach and plied their junior hockey with DiamondBacks Hockey Club together.

Tuesday’s Pro League fixtures kickstart six consecutive days of double header matches, with USA women and Spain men also involved as team’s face each other twice for points in hockey’s annual ‘test championship’ equivalent.

AUSSIES PREPARE TO MAKE STATEMENT ON PRO LEAGUE RETURN

The FIH Pro League roadshow has arrived in Hobart, with twelve matches across the next six days featuring iconic Australian sporting teams the Kookaburras (men) and Hockeyroos (women).

Billed as the annual home and away championships of the top nine teams in world hockey, the Pro League also serves as a qualifier for the Hockey World Cup and the Paris Olympic Games.

After withdrawing from the last Pro League season due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions, Australia returns with fire in their belly to regain their title success in 2019.

Hannah Cullum-Sanders.

Adding fuel to the flames, is the fact the Aussie men slipped to fourth at the recent World Cup in India, while the Hockeyroos kickstarted their Pro League campaign with two wins, a draw, and a loss in Sydney recently.

The teams will also feature three Tasmanians in Eddie Ockenden, Josh Beltz and Jack Welch (Kookaburras), while Maddi Brooks will be the island states first Hockeyroo debutant in nine years.

In addition, there will be Tassie Tigers players Jeremy Hayward (new interim Kookaburras captain) and Cassie Sumfest, Brooke DeBerdine and Jillian Wolgemuth (all representing USA) among the players taking the pitch.

All the action is at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre from 5pm each night through to Sunday, with tickets available through Ticketek.