Published on: 25 July 2014





In the final week of Term 2, Years 7 to 9 hockey players were privileged to hear from Australian ‘super coach’ Ric Charlesworth (Class of 1969) and see the Hockey World Cup trophy, fresh from Australia’s win in The Hague.

The recently retired Australian Men’s Hockey Team coach, who is the father of Oscar (Year 8) and Hugo (Year 6), along with Kookaburra squad member and fellow old boy Craig Boyne (Class of 2005), led a masterclass for 120 boys at Mt Claremont Playing Fields. The week prior, Craig was also a special guest at a hockey training session for Years 5 and 6 boys.

Teacher in Charge of Hockey Brendon Noble said Ric had some great advice for the boys on how to win a world cup and be an outstanding player. “He said it started right here at this session – with training and hard work,” Mr Noble said. “Ric was so accommodating and the boys loved hearing about how the Kookaburras defended their World Cup title.”

Craig, who works with Gryphon at FHE in business and product development, talked from a player’s perspective as well as giving the boys advice on choosing the right hockey stick. Craig debuted with the Kookaburras in 2013 at the Sultan Azian Shah Cup international hockey tournament where he scored the winning goal against Malaysia in the finals.

The boys then worked in their teams through eight drill rotations led by coaches from local clubs, and with Ric and Craig circulating through the groups and offering their expertise. Members of the First XI also assisted with the drills and had an opportunity to learn from the professional coach and old boy.