Kookaburras face the Netherlands in must win quarterfinal

The Kookaburras head in to the quarterfinals unbeaten, however now face a tough test against the Netherlands in the quarterfinal.

In what will be one of the matches of the tournament so far, both nations have won medals at seven of the last eight Olympic Games, however both missed the podium in Rio.

“There is a lot of belief in the group,” said Kookaburras Head Coach Colin Batch.  

“Now we have to demonstrate it for another 60 minutes against the Netherlands.  

“What’s gone before and what’s in a couple of days is irrelevant, it’s what happens in our match tomorrow that counts.” 

After finishing at the top of pool A the Kookaburras had a nervous wait to see who of Germany, Great Britain or the Netherlands they would meet, with the Dutch ultimately finishing fourth in pool B.

“We know they are all tough games, all three have shown glimpses of excellent form in this tournament and we know it’s going to be a hard game against the Netherlands.

“We are looking forward to the quarter final. We haven’t played the Netherlands for a little while and they are the current European champions, they have a lot of pride in what they do, so they will be tough. 

“The quarter finals go up another level, it puts you further into the tournament, you reach the semi-final if you win, and if you’re out you are finished. It’s not lost on anyone the importance of this game and we will be up for it.” 

Kookaburras co-captain Aran Zalewski believes the unique culture among the Kookas group is something which gives his side an advantage over their competitors and will be key when the pressure comes. 

“We play a sport where generally we spend two or three months of the year playing together, so we are really close, like a family,” Zalewski said. 

“These Olympics are a pretty challenging environment for teams, we eat by ourselves, spend a lot of time in our rooms, a lot of things can’t be done in groups.  

“For us to maintain a strong bond through this and spend as much time together as we can is really important. We love being able to get out on the pitch and that’s where we can really come together.”