'An aspiration of mine ever since I got into coaching': Former Kookaburras captain takes over as head coach
Former Kookaburras captain Mark Hager has taken over from Colin Batch as head coach of the Australian men's hockey squad as the team eyes the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Batch resigned after eight years at the helm following the Kookaburras' Paris 2024 campaign, in which the Australians won through to the quarter-finals before being eliminated by the Netherlands, the eventual gold medallists, in a 2-0 defeat.
In a highly respected 231-match career with the Kookaburras, Hager competed at the Seoul 1988 and Atlanta 1996 Olympics, winning bronze at the latter.
READ MORE: Socceroos rue missed chances in frustrating draw
IN PICTURES: Sad $683m fall before icon Mike Tyson got off the canvas
READ MORE: Addo-Carr closes in on NRL lifeline after Dogs sacking
The 60-year-old's coaching career has spanned more than 20 years and included a stint as head coach of Great Britain's women's team, which he steered to Olympic bronze at Tokyo 2020.
Since resigning from his British role after the Tokyo Games, Hager has worked with fellow Kookaburras great Mark Knowles in Hockey Australia's national athlete pathway program.
Mark Hager (left) and Stephen Davies celebrate a Kookaburras goal during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Reuters
"Coaching the Kookaburras has been an aspiration of mine ever since I got into coaching," Hager said.
"Having started out as an Australian national junior coach, working alongside the likes of former Kookaburras coaches Barry Dancer and Colin Batch has encouraged me to want to go even further in my coaching career.
"You always aspire to coach your home country.
"Having been a Kookaburra myself, and having had the experience of coaching overseas, I feel now is the right time to step into this role."
Hager has also served as head coach of the New Zealand women's team, which he led to gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, and held coaching roles with the Australian under-21 men's squad, the Australian under-21 women's squad, and the Hockeyroos.
Hockey was among a long list of sports culled for the pared-back 2026 Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow, but the Kookaburras will contest the 2026 World Cup, to be hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, after securing qualification by winning the 2023-24 FIH Pro League.
Mark Hager during his time as head coach of Great Britain's women's team. Supplied
At the 2028 LA Olympics, the Kookaburras will be aiming to win their first Olympic gold medal since 2004, when Jamie Dwyer's iconic extra-time goal captured gold in Athens.
The Kookaburras have won 10 medals in Olympic hockey, including silver at Tokyo 2020.
"The goal is always to win medals," Hager said.
"Over the next three-and-a-half years leading into the Olympics, we have to be well prepared. We need to create depth, and we need to turn up with a really competitive group who truly believe they can win a medal.
"I get very excited about the history and rich legacy of the Kookas and knowing what it means to be a Kooka, having been there and experienced it myself. I'm just really excited to be a part of it again."
Hockey Australia chief executive David Pryles said the Kookaburras had reached a "really exciting new era".
"It's our chance to refresh, reset and turn our attention to focusing on medalling in LA 2028," Pryles said.
"Mark brings with him the rich legacy of the Kookaburras, having been a captain of the side who achieved success in Atlanta in 1996, so we are excited to see what he can do with this group."
