The Help Side

6. The Help Side - Adam Dixon - Part A

#TheHelpSide Adam Dixon is the current captain of the Great Britain men’s hockey team and is one of the most highly respected players in world hockey having represented England and GB on more than 250 occasions. Adam is an Olympian, a dual Commonwealth Games medalist, a European Championships Gold medalist, a Hockey India League champion, and above all else he is a ripping bloke who I had the good fortune of playing with at Kalinga Lancers back in 2017. We cover quite a bit of ground in this interview - so much so that we’ve had to split it into two episodes!

In this episode, Adam gives us an insight into the GB high performance set up and the challenges of the lockdown - including how he was he forced into early isolation with suspected coronavirus symptoms - but don’t worry it’s alright he’s ok. We talk about the current state of the game in the UK - a country where hockey is enjoying a bit of a renaissance following the London Olympics and the gold medal success of the GB women at the Rio games. Adam is open, thoughtful and has some interesting perspectives on where the game needs to head to break into the mainstream.  

5. The Help Side - Rachael Lynch

#TheHelpSide Nurse, business owner, mental health ambassador, Australian hockey player, shoot-out beast and FIH World Goalkeeper of the Year. These are just some of the ways to describe star goalkeeper Rachael Lynch. After debuting in 2006, Rach has played a whopping 223 games for the Hockeyroos, a statistic that includes appearances at three World Cups, five Champions Trophies, three Commonwealth Games and the Rio Olympic Games. Playing arguably the most competitive position on the field, over the next hour or so, Lynchy will give us a goalkeepers take on competing at the highest level, and all that entails. 

With 14 years of experience, Rach has seen almost all there is to see over her stellar career with the Hockeyroos. From the ordeal of missing two Olympic selections to being crowned World Goalkeeper of the Year, you’ll find Rach has learned an incredible amount over her journey that started with a 12-year-old basketball-playing tomboy from Melbourne. 

We’re very lucky that Rach shares those lessons with us in a very candid manner, along with some of her goalkeeping secrets to being the best in the world. 

4. The Help Side - Katrina Powell

#TheHelpSide Katrina Powell is a bona fide legend of Australian Hockey. A key member of the all-conquering Hockeyroos team of the 1990s and early 2000s Triny went to 3 consecutive Olympic games and achieved every hockey player’s dream, not once but twice, winning gold medals at both the Atlanta and Sydney games. A prolific goalscorer, Triny found the back of the net an impressive 141 times for the Hockeyroos across a career spanning the best part of a decade and post her playing career Triny is continuing to score goals as a coach. 

In this interview, we reflect on what was a golden era of Australian hockey to understand the ingredients that made the Hockeyroos so dominant but also delve into why that dominance ended. We talk about the challenges of transitioning from an athlete to a coach and also get Triny’s take on how the sport can do better to support women to become more involved in coaching. As someone who has dedicated their life to hockey Triny has amazing insight into what it takes to succeed.

3. The Help Side - Aran Zalewski

#TheHelpSide Aran Zalewski or Moose as he’s more commonly known is the co-captain of the Australian men’s hockey team and a proud West Australian. Hailing from the famous Margaret River region, Moose is one of the premier players in world hockey being nominated for the FIH World Player of the Year award in 2019 - an impressive accolade to add to his gold medals at the World Cup and Commonwealth Games. He is the general of the national team - a big, strong defensive midfielder who calls the shots for the Kookaburras in both attack and defence.

In this interview, we talk about leadership, the professionalism required to make it to the top in elite sport, and the insatiable quest for self-improvement that has made Aran the world-class player he is today. As you’ll hear there are two sides to Aran - the determined, ultra-competitive elite athlete - and the chilled, laid back surfer dude - a juxtaposition that makes him a fascinating guy to chat to.

2. The Help Side - Matthew Swann

#TheHelpSide Matthew Swann or Swanny, as he’s known to just about everyone that follows hockey, is one of the most popular players not just in the Kookaburras squad but in our sport! He’s a two time Olympian, a dual World Cup gold medallist and a qualified accountant. The energiser bunny of the Australian team, he can be carrying the ball into the attacking circle at one end and in a matter of seconds, inexplicably be making a goal-saving tackle at the other end. Swanny’s skill, speed and elite level of fitness has made him one of the most dominant outside halves of the decade. 

This interview takes us on a journey from central Queensland where Swanny grew up, to Brisbane then Perth in pursuit of his hockey dreams, and ultimately to the pinnacle of hockey at the London and Rio Olympics - and he’s not done yet.

1. The Help Side - Jeremy Hayward

#TheHelpSide Jeremy Hayward has been one of the mainstays in the line up of the Australian men's field hockey team, the Kookaburras, over the past five years. Jeremy has been to the very pinnacle of hockey winning gold medals at the World Cup and Commonwealth Games. But it hasn’t all been plain sailing. 

In this episode, we talk about the challenges of relocating to Perth as an 18-year-old, the disappointment of the 2016 Olympic campaign as well as what it’s like to live with a partner who is also an elite hockey player.