Kookaburras on mission

Murwillumbah star says side keen to honour retiring Knowles

MURWILLUMBAH hockey star Dylan Wotherspoon still vividly remembers watching outgoing legend Mark Knowles feature in the Kookaburras’ sole Olympic gold medal triumph.

The year was 2004 and the location was the original home of the Olympics: Athens, Greece. Wotherspoon was just 10 years of age; Knowles was relatively fresh-faced himself at 20, playing in his maiden Games.

Fast forward to 2018 and Wotherspoon is playing alongside Knowles in the national team – at least until the end of the week, after which the latter will retire.

“I remember watching, say the 2004 Athens Olympics, and they’re winning gold and he’s playing then and I’m just a junior,” said Wotherspoon.

“Now he’s my leader … he just inspires me.”

A Gold Coast Commonwealth Games gold medal – which they are now only 120 minutes of hockey away from achieving – would be the ultimate way to send off the Kookaburras captain.

“We would love to do it for Knowlesy,” teammate Whetton said.

“He’s such a humble guy and he would not want us thinking that (it adds pressure) one little bit.

“If we play our best hockey, the results will go our way.”

Australia will face England in a semi-final on Friday at the Gold Coast Hockey Centre for a place in the gold medal playoff against either New Zealand Jake or India the following night. It’s a familiar venue for Wotherspoon, also being the home base of his club side Labrador Tigerstix.

“It is really special and being so close to home, it is something for me to give back to my family and friends,” he said.

Wotherspoon, who missed the 2016 Olympics due to a hamstring injury, says the pool-topping Kookaburras have not yet peaked.

“We’ve come out blocks firing nearly game,” he said.

“At the moment we are sort of focusing on a 60-minute performance. We are not quite happy with the way we have been performing.”

England are coming off a last-minute 4-3 loss to India on Wednesday night. of the every