(Hockey news) Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji earned the gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively, in the men’s and women’s competitions as the Hockey5s Oceania Cup 2023 came to an end today in Gold Coast! All three teams from both genders have now qualified for the FIH Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024 thanks to the top-3 ranking!

Australia was the team to beat in the women’s competition during the round-robin round, winning all six of their games, closely followed by New Zealand (5 wins, 1 defeat). Fiji, which earned 12 points from its six games, and Papua New Guinea, which finished fourth, joined the two other Oceanic powerhouses in qualifying for the semi-finals. 

In the first semifinal, New Zealand faced Fiji. With three goals in each half, the Black Sticks defeated Fiji with ease and qualified for the FIH Hockey5s World Cup, where they will be joined by Australia, which defeated Papua New Guinea with a 12-1 victory in the second semifinal behind hat-tricks from Jamie Zimmerman and Dacia Koelmeyer. 

Fiji defeated Papua New Guinea 6-2 in the bronze medal game. Fiji’s victory was aided by the hot hand of Lora Bukalidi, who scored a hat-trick to advance Fiji to the first FIH Hockey5s World Cup in 2024. 

The finals were a competitive game; Australia scored the game’s opening two goals, and New Zealand quickly halved their deficit in half just before halftime. With just over a minute left in the contest, Australia scored a third goal to win gold despite New Zealand’s vain attempts to tie the score. 

Australia took first place in the men’s competition after winning all six of its games in the round-robin stage. With 13 and 10 points, respectively, New Zealand and Fiji came in second and third place. It’s interesting to note that New Zealand and Fiji, who drew 5-5 in their head-to-head matchup in the round-robin stage, would also face off in the semifinals. Fourth-placed Solomon Islands would play Australia in the second semifinal. 

The first semi-final was New Zealand vs. Fiji once more, with New Zealand winning 6-2. The Black Sticks advanced to the finals and qualified for the FIH Hockey5s World Cup 2024 thanks to Taimana Iversen’s two goals. Australia will play alongside New Zealand in the World Cup after cruising to a 10-0 victory over the Solomon Islands in their semifinal match. Joshua Commins added two late goals in the second half to seal a second hat-trick for the Kookaburras, who entered the finals as the favorites after Mitchell Pace’s first-half hat-trick placed the game beyond question. 

The finals were a nail-biter, with New Zealand stunning the local favorites by jumping up to an early 3-goal lead. However, Australia fought back and took the lead by scoring 4 unanswered goals in the following 5 minutes! A minute later, New Zealand equalized with another goal. Liam Kerr-Nelson, the Australian captain, stepped up and scored twice in the game’s closing three minutes to help the hosts defeat their rivals from the continent 6-4 and win the gold medal! 

16 teams will compete in both the men’s and women’s competitions at the first-ever FIH Hockey5s World Cup 2024, which will take place in Muscat, Oman, from January 24 through January 31, 2024. 

Along with the hosts, Oman, African nations Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia have qualified for the World Cup in the women’s category. While the Netherlands, Poland, and Ukraine qualified from Europe, the USA, Uruguay, and Paraguay qualified from Pan America. As of right present, Oceania’s qualifiers are Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. Later this year, Asia will qualify three of the last four World Cup teams. 

Along with the hosts, Oman, European competitors Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland, as well as African competitors Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria, have qualified for the World Cup in the men’s category. The three Pan American qualifiers are the USA, Trinidad & Tobago, and Jamaica. As of right present, Oceania’s qualifiers are Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. Later this year, the last three World Cup teams will be selected from Asia.

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