Why is Jamie Dwyer famous?

 

Jamie Dwyer a great hockey player – but Rio was something else

Jamie Dwyer's field hockey record when read reads like an astonishing publication of endeavor, performance, celebrations, victories, world hockey acknowledgment, achievements and a statement of a dream for all young hockey players.

The World Hockey Player for a number of years, a Gold Medalist at Olympic, World Cup and Champion's Trophy levels... and then a bomb shell.

Two years out of the Rio Olympics Jamie Dwyer was left out of the Rio Olympic training squad. Jamie Dwyer got on his bike (as it were) and produced a fresh batch of on field results that the new coach and national selectors believed demanded a realignment of the training squad - he was put back into the squad and then secured his place in the Rio Olympic 'final cut'.

Hockey Australia founds itself between the proverbial. If they didn't include Jamie Dwyer they'd be hauled over hot coals... or worse... history is no friend of selection errors. But if, for whatever reason he was dropped from the squad in the first place, then they included him, followed by a Kookaburras poor showing, such as the Silver Medal, Australian hockey could itself be bought under scrutiny.

Dwyer was born in March 1979 – this made him 37 years of age. Age itself is not the sole issue. Argentina the eventual Gold Medalists at the Rio Hockey Olympics, had the oldest team in the tournament, their super star fullback was likewise 37 years of age. There was something other than age.

Other things need to be taken into consideration such as - strategy, tactics, circle penetration, penalty corner scenarios ... these are on field issues.

As an author of 5 books on field hockey and hockey writer for The Australian newspaper for 24 years to 1994 covering Olympics, World Cups and Champion's Trophies, it became obviously clear as to where the problems were arising at Rio.

The Australian Men's Hockey stats at Rio
Aust 2 – NZ 1
Belgium 1 – Aust 0
Spain 1 – Aust 0
Aust 2 – Great Britain 1
Aus 9 – Brazil 0

Quarter Final
Netherlands 4 – Aust 0

Artificial turf came into Olympic hockey in 1976 and the Australians have been in the top 6 since (Champions Trophy level). Rio was an unheard of result. The Kookaburras were the Gold Medal favorites.

The Kookaburra's greatest of all skills at world hockey level has been their penetration tactics – ie getting into the circle area to even have a shot on goal. If a team is unable to penetrate the circle, then no goal is even possible. Penalty corners cannot be milked. Scoring a goal becomes impossible. Frustration creeps in. Bad decisions become the norm. Poor passing becomes a consequence. One thing follows another.

At the Rio Olympic Hockey Tournament the Kookaburras did the same as all the teams – played right, played left, centre drills – the difference was – the Australian players were unable to penetrate the circle zone as had been their custom.

Their major opposition outfits figured out how to prevent this from happening, and very effectively. For example, I watched Spain very closely, they grouped and regroup around the outside of the circle zone and whatever the Kookaburra's tried - it was truncated by the defense.

Jamie Dwyer constantly found himself with two or three defenders on him – nowhere to move – no passing possibilities – and if all his skills couldn't get through Therein the focal point issue was thwarted with the Kookaburras at Rio.

Their opponents had figured out the nature of 'Kookaburra' success and established workable scenarios to put paid to it. Such is sport.

Mark Transom is an author of five hockey books and wrote hockey for The Australian for many years. He retains an avid interest in all thing hockey with his most illustrious article being from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics hockey tournament where he re-phrased "ice hockey" terms for the "field hockey" - an article that was syndicated around the world. Jamie 'Foetus' Dwyer is an Australian field hockey player has been named the world’s best hockey player five times, first in 2004 and again in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Inspired by his brothers, Jamie kick-started his career by joining the Queensland Blades team when he was all of 17, and from there was selected into the Hockey AIS (Australian Institute of Sports) in Perth in 1999. It wasn’t until after the Sydney Olympics that Jamie was selected in the Australian men’s hockey team. In 1995, Dwyer made his junior national team debut in the U18 and U21 sides. In 2001, he earned a silver medal in the Champions Trophy competition and another silver the following year at the World Cup. The same year he also won a gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Pursuing his Olympic dream, Jamie competed in the Athens Olympics and went on to become famous for scoring an extra time goal in the final, which resulted in Australia winning the gold medal and him being adjudged the best player in the world. In 2005, he earned a gold medal at the Champions Trophy competition and topped it with a silver in the World Cup. He also won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. He won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics and in 2009 he won a gold medal at the Men's Hockey Champions Trophy competition. Jamie Dwyer, the Kookaburra great, has been recognised for his achievements and impact on his nation’s sport with induction into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF).

The Australian made 365 appearances and scored 243 goals in a career spanning 16 years and was announced as one of eight new inductees into the prestigious SAHOF club.

“Jamie is arguably Australia’s greatest men’s hockey player and his accomplishments for the Kookaburras are unmatched,” said Hockey Australia president Mel Woodsman.

“Jamie Dwyer is a household name not only in Australia but many parts of the world due to the calibre of player he was, his will to win, his tenacious character on the pitch, his success, and his longevity to compete at the highest level for as long as he did.

“The fact Jamie only retired in 2016 and nominees for the SAHOF must be retired from their sport for a minimum of four years underlines his standing among Australia’s sporting greats.”

“Jamie’s induction into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame is richly deserved and on behalf of the Australian hockey community I congratulate him and the other seven inductees.”

The Sport Australia Hall of Fame will come to life for 2021 in a television special on the Seven Network down under on Dec 2 honouring the new inductees. It is titled Australia’s Sporting Heroes and Legends – a Celebration of the 2021 Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Jamie Dwyer OAM was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2021 as an Athlete Member for his contribution to hockey.

Dwyer’s impact on the field was highlighted by a phenomenal scoring rate of 66 percent from his 365 international matches. Naturally, he is widely regarded as one of Australia’s greatest ever male hockey players.

Competing at four Olympic Games, he was a member of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games squad which broke the drought to win gold for the first time after a run of bronzes, and scored the winning goal in the final of the historic match.

Dwyer dominated on the world stage with the Australian team over a 16 year career, winning won gold in two world cups, three Commonwealth Games and six Champions Trophies. He was named the International Hockey Federation (FIH) World Player of the Year five times between   2004   to   2011.

Skills: Jamie Dwyer practiced for hours as a junior

Dwyer made his international debut in 2001 after working his way through the national junior squads. He played his first match for the national team in the 2001 Oceania Cup before being selected for the Champions Trophy that same year Netherlands, where Australia finished runners-up.

After finishing in second place in the 2002 World Cup, Dwyer’s first trophy success for the Kookaburras came when Australia won gold at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games. By now he had already proven himself a dangerous scoring prospect for the Kookaburras, scoring 20 goals from 10 tournaments. In Manchester, he scored in three of the five games in which Australia played, including two hat tricks, one of which was in the gold medal match against New Zealand.

Dwyer continued his form leading into the 2004 Athens Olympic Games adding 33 more goals to his tally from across 14 different tournaments. It was at Athens that his most memorable moment occurred. In the first match at the Games, Dwyer scored a hat trick against Australia’s trans-Tasman rival of New Zealand however, Dwyer etched his name in history during the gold medal match where Australia sought to finally fulfill the promise it had shown in many other past Olympics.

In the match against the Netherlands, Australia found itself on the back foot being a goal down after the first half however, early in the second half, an equalizer was enough to push the tight contest into extra time. That set the scene for Dwyer to score the winning goal from a penalty corner securing Australia their first men’s Hockey gold medal after 48 years of participation. This performance secured him the FIH Player of the Year award, his first of five. Dwyer won the first of his six Champion Trophies in 2005. Dwyer only scored three goals during the entire tournament from his six appearances. At the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, Dwyer was a part of Australia’s Gold medal team. It was his second Commonwealth gold medal and the team’s third time in a row winning the competition. Following the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Australia saw the year out with a fourth-place finish in the 2006 Champions Trophy and runner up at the World Cup in Germany where he was named the Player of the Tournament. Dwyer scored his most goals in a game during the 2007 Oceania Cup where he scored eight goals ahead of Australia finishing runners up in the Champions Trophy that year.

The likes of Jamie Dwyer have long since graced the Dutch Hoofdklasse PIC: World Sport Pics

After missing the first tournament of 2008, Dwyer played every event for the year including his second Champions Trophy victory, defeating Spain in the final. He was also named Best Player of the Tournament. The year was rounded out with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in which Jamie scored four goals across the tournament. Australia walked away with bronze, with Spain extracting some revenge for their Champions Trophy loss and relegating Australia to the play off against the Netherlands.

Dwyer was selected as captain for the 2009 Champions Trophy, a position he had been sharing with other leadership players for the past year. This tournament saw the Kookaburras win their third trophy in front of a home crowd in Melbourne. Later that year he took out his third FIH Player of the Year title.

Dwyer helped lead the way in the Kookaburras campaign at the 2010 World Cup. Australia took out only their second ever World Cup title before Dwyer took the next tournament off to recover from injury. He was back in time to lead the team at the 2010 Champions Trophy where Australia won its fourth gold medal with Dwyer named the Best Player of the tournament and equal leading goal scorer. His leadership of the Kookaburras continued at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games where the team continued its unbeaten record of Commonwealth gold medals defeating the host nation in the final.

Dwyer missed the start of 2011, due to injury, but was back in time for the 2011 Oceania Cup, which Australia won for the seventh time. The Kookaburras continued their winning streak with the Champions Trophy, for their fourth consecutive time, with Jamie’s seven goals crowning him as the leading goal scorer of the tournament. Dwyer was then named FIH Player of the year for the third time in a row having won the previous year and his fifth time overall. It was at this moment that he became the first male player to take out the award this many times. He was the first male player to win the award on this many occasions.

Dwyer started 2012 with a bronze medal at the London Olympic Games, scoring six goals in the process before playing in his last Champions Trophy, winning a gold medal win against the Netherlands. He helped the Kookaburras to the final tournament of the FIH World League during the 2013/14 edition, where Australia won for the first time. Dwyer missed the finals competition but was back in time to defend Australia’s World Cup title against host nation, the Netherlands, for the 2014 edition.

In Dwyer’s last years of hockey, he played a key part in Australia defending its World League title and securing qualification to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Following these Games, Dwyer announced his retirement from the team being, bowing out as the most decorated Kookaburra in history with 365 appearances and 243 goals to his name, a then record.

Awards and Achievements

·         2002: FIH Rising Star of the Year

·         2004, 2007 & 2009 to 2011: FIH Male Player of the Year

·         2005: Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sport as a gold medalist at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games

·         2006 onwards: Named in FIH World Team including being named captain multiple times

·         2011: Inducted into the Australian Institute of Sports Best of the Best