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New Reno Gear

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NEW RENO GEAR

Aussie Boys In Final Preparation Phase

The Australian Junior team scheduled to take off for San Juan Argentina - the so-called 'home' of world Roller Hockey.The boy's will be taking part in the Junior World Championships.

There has been so to-ing and fro-ing with the organising body CIRH moving the competition from Argentina to Italy and back to Argentina again. Head Coach Jamie Reid has absorbed this indecision by the CIRH asking the team to remained focused on the job at hand. Jamie says that the team is on track and was pleased with the results of their recent squad training in Melbourne.

With a good component of the team having been to Schoolboy and Senior Men's World Championships in previous years a good result is expected.

Anniversary Sale

2005 marks 5 years that RollerHockey Australia has been in business supplying you with the latest equipment and news on the web. To celebrate we be having a store at the 2005 National Championships in Perth so come over and say hello and snap up on of our Anniversary Sales bargains.

Leagues To Start Rolling

The VIC and South East Queensland League's are being finalised and are expected to kick off in the next few weeks. For more info get in touch with your local club.

New Aussie Coaches

An announcement is expect shortly over who will take over the reigns of the Australian Men's and Women's Team's.

It has been confirmed that Les Karayan (the writer) will be Coach of The Australian Senior Ladies Team to compete in the 2006 Ladies World Championships. An announcement for who will Managing the team is expected this week.

Much speculation has been made of whether a local or overseas appointment will be made for the Senior Men's team after the success of the Macau World Championships - RHA will let you know as soon as we find out!

I can confirm that the Ladies Team will be a 'clean slate' with current and past player invited to confirm their commitment by joining the squad. The squad will be named at the Skate Australia Nationals in Perth.

Australia Day Cup Success

The 2nd RollerHockey Australia - Australia Day Cup was held in January 2005.

The weekend competition was played in good sprit with the Paco de Arcos unable to retain the title. The Australia Day Cup was stolen in the dying moments of an exciting final by the Skateabout team from Brisbane.

The Skateabout team consisted of: Dean Anderson, Eddie Crellin, Danny Falabella, Mick Geddling, Trevor Josepf, Craig Schurmann and Tony 'Kiwi' Weiller.

RollerHockey Australia plans to build on the success of the Australia Day Cup and hold a tournament in Townsville North Queensland. The proposed date is sometime in October at this stage.

Congratulations to Trevor Joseph voted as the MVP and Glenn Cook who was voted the Most Valuable Goal Keeper.

SUBMITTED BY LES KARAYAN - 1 May 2005

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The 2005 Australia Day Cup

Roller Hockey Australia.com, in conjunction with the Dandenong Roller Hockey Club will be hosting the 2005 Australia Day Cup. The tournament will be held from the 21st January to Sunday the 23rd January 05 

The competition will be an open tournament, which will have all teams playing in the same division. We invite Senior Mens, Ladies and Junior teams from all over Australia to attend this great weekend. We will be starting on Friday night 21st Jan, and will be having the Melbourne based teams playing at this time. This will allow interstate teams to get to Melbourne on the Friday night, and be prepared for games on Saturday morning onwards.

You can expect 6 games over the weekend, this is dependant on the number of teams nominating, however, at this stage, it looks as it going to be a jammed packed comp. 

Cost: Victorian Teams $250 per team, Interstate Teams $200 per team  (Interstate teams are cheaper as they have increased travel expenses)

 If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Les on 0411 258486 , Les.karayan@pmplimited.com.au or Steve on 0413 567913, shoey1@bigpond.net.au 

We look forward to hearing from you soon,

RHA..

Sponsors: 

RENO, Hockey Gear

Games Connect, Suppliers of Xbox Games, PS2 Games, GameCube Games, www.GamesConnect.com.au

Redbank Wines, Fine Wines from Victoria, www.sallyspaddock.com.au

Australia 5th at the World Championships

"We have not achieved a result like this in 14 years, we have taken a real step forward"  Team Capitan: Stephen Hoey

The Australian Roller Hockey team has competed at the 36th World Championship, held in Macau from the 16th - 23rd of Oct. 04, taking 5th place which represents the best result for Australia since 1990 were the team finished 3rd. From 1990 until 2004, the team has achieved 6th, 13th, 14th, 13th & 9th at past World Championships. Australia has now taking a great leap forward.

Over the past 12 months through the introduction of professional roller hockey coach Jorge Lopes, Australia has been able to competitively play against the best.  Jorge has introduced a professional individual program for all squad members since Nov 03. which was tailored made for each squad member and reviewed on a weekly basis. Through the introduction of European tactics and a professional mind set, the Australian team members have taken a big leap forward in many aspects. This is evident in the final results of each of the games the team played in at the recent World Championships and the Asian Games held earlier this year

A coaches report will be submitted to the RHA outlining the game by game details, so stayed tuned.

The 2004 Australian Roller Hockey Team

Front Row: Les Karayan, Gary Collins, Stephen Hoey (Captain), Pedro Basillo, Glenn Cox

Second Row: Bernard De Eira, Danny Falabella, Michael Emmett, Eddie Crellin, Cameron Bohem

Australia 3rd at the Asian Games

“For the first time in 13 years, Australia has achieved a medal placing at a major International tournament”

The Australian Roller Hockey team, led by professional Portuguese roller hockey coach Jorge Lopes has achieved 3 rd place and a bronze medal at the 10 th Asian Games. Jorge has bought into the team a new type of hockey that the Australian Team has never seen before. Jorge's professional experience and attitude towards the games has given Australia the opportunity to play hockey at new level and potentially take Australia to the next level of international roller hockey.

The team selected to represent Australia was a combination of experienced players from pervious world championships, with a combination of up and coming juniors who have under the direction of Australian Junior coach Jamie Reid. Although this combination lacks some experience it is a very closely nit group with the upmost respect for each other. Jorge has ensured that the players who represent the team also represent the country with honour and pride.

Australia had a slow start to the tournament with an aggressive game against tournament winners Macau . The team was not familiar with the conditions and were unfortunately unable to get the 3 points for the win. The next game was very closely fought-out match against home team Japan . Australia taking a lead 1-0 at half time was in control for most of the first half. Japan entered the floor at the start of the second half determined to take back some of the dominance that Australia had shown earlier in the game. The boys from Australia continued to dominate, however some unfavourable decisions by the referees allowed the home team to capitalise and take the game 4-3. Although the Australian team was disappointed they knew they performed very well and had shown some good signs of showing other countries that Australia is a country determined to play hockey.

The following 2 games were against India and China respectively. Australia had convincing wins against both teams, which led to a play-off for 3 rd place against Chinese Taipei.

During the week of hockey, Chinese Taipei had provided some very competitive games against a number of teams. This team was unlucky not to win against Japan having a 4-2 lead at the 35-minute mark, with an end result being 4-4. With the inform Chinese Taipei, Australia knew they had to be focussed and playing well to win the medal.

Wednesday morning, 16 th June - 10am, the game begun. From the first whistle the Australian boys showed a very different type of focus. The boys were upbeat and positive, showing a direct approach towards the opponent's goal cage. The defence was very well structured with all players contributing to the strength that their opponents felt. The Australian team dominated over 80% of the game and the end result proved to be a successful win, and taking 3rd place. Australia 6, Chinese Taipei 3.

At an international level this is without a doubt is a significant step for Australian Roller Hockey. With the new coaching structure and the discipline that Jorge has bought into the team, Australia is heading in the right direction to provide results and be known as a country that can play good Roller Hockey. The commitment of the team and management has been exceptional with training camps occurring every 6 weeks in Brisbane since November 03.

The next steps for the Australian team are preparation for the 36 th World Championships. They will be held in Macau-China in late October-04. Australia will be determined to showing a good performance and improving on their International rankings.

The Australian Roller Hockey Team – Asian Games 2004

SUBMITTED BY STEPHEN HOEY - 25 June 2004

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AUSSIES HEAD FOR JAPAN

The Australian Senior Team that will take on Asia's best was recently announced. Coach Jorge Lopes has formed a new look Senior team with many members coming from Jamie Reid's Schoolboy teams. The player which have come through Jamie's have had the opportunity to work with Jorge before during their camps in Portugal in recent years.

The team is as follows:

Read on for Jorge Lopes' thoughts:

ROLLERHOCKEY AUSTRALIA (RHA) TALKS WITH JORGE LOPES (JL)

RHA: Jorge, have you seen an improvement physically & technically in the players of the Senior Squad?

JL: Yes alittle bit. Especially in some physical capacities like resistance and strength. Some small improvement in passing and receiving the ball, plus ball control.

RHA: What do you believe the team's greatest strengths are?

JL: At the moment, the rigorous dedication to the training plan, plus the closeness of the squad & communication.

RHA: What are your goals or expectations of the Asian Games in Japan?

JL: 1. To elevate the World Ranking of the team. 2. To ut the team in real game situations.

RHA: Are there any things you will trial in Japan for the World Championship in Macau?

JL: The Asian Games will be a benchmark. We must analyse to evaluate what we have done and make required changes as the main goal is of course the World Championship.

RHA: What is your long term vision for the Australian Senior Squad?

JL: Our preparation plan is for only these World Championships and when this World Championship is complete we must see what will happen next. For me it is a good experience as I enjoy a good challenge. I am well received and the players are very good as they are both attentive and focussed.

RHA: If you could talk with all the young Australian players, what would be the 3 most important playing tips you could give them?

JL: 1.Roller Hockey is a fantastic sport but to become a good player everyone must work very hard.

2. To become a good player you must improve your individual tactical skills as that is the basis for the game plan.

3. Believe always in your capacities and your work.

SUBMITTED BY LES KARAYAN - 10 June 2004

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AUSTRALIA DAY CUP SUCCESS

The 1st annual RHA Australia Day Cup took place 24-26 January. The event was judged by all who attended to be a great success.

Teams that participated included: Lisport, Mordialloc, Paco De Arcos, Campbellfield, Victorain School Boys and from QLD Skateabout.

The weekend went well with plenty of good hockey played in good spirit - a few players admitting that the Christmas break set back their performance!

The weekend culminated in a closely contested final between Paco de Arcos and Mordialloc. At half time the margin was close at 2 to 1 in Paco's favour. Paco made an unmatched run in the second half closing the game out at 5 - 3 to be victorious.

Each player on the winning team received a brand new RENO Special with the runners up each receiving RENO T-Shirts.

MVP's received a Reno Knapsack each:

Floorplayers: Stephen Hoey, Trevor Joseph, Glen Cox

Goalkeepers: Daniel Marino, Bernadette Fagan

To view photo's from the 1st RHA Cup click HERE.

1st Skate Australia Coaches ConferenceThe first Skate Australia coached conference was held 31 Jan - 1 Feb 2004 at the Australian Institue of Sport Canberra.

Coaches from all skating disciplines were instructed in Player Psychology, Strength and Conditioning, Drug Management, Conflict Resolution, Warm Up/Down requirments among many other subjects by the AIS's top staff.

The Weekend was a good opportunity for Roller Hockey Coaches to work with coaches from Inline Hockey, Speed and Art and discuss various areas and opinions.

The weekend was appreciated by all who attended and a rating of 9/10 was given by most attendees.

Roller Hockey was represented mostly National Coaches and their Support Coaches however others did attend.

Participants Included: Michael Hurley, Les Karayan, Victorino Rodrigues, Jamie Reid, Steven Capewell & Errol Heagney.

To view photo's click HERE.

TEAM AUS PREPARES FOR JAPANThe Australian Senior team attended the latest squad training held by Coach Jorge Lopes in Brisbane. Held on the 14-16 February attendees were subjected to rigorous fitness and hockey specific tests.

The squad is starting to take shape with the majority of players from Melbourne and Brisbane:

Keepers: Tony Wieller, Pedro Basilio

Players: Cameron Bohem, David Clayton, Glen Cox, Eddy Crellin, Anthony Elliott, Michael Emmett, Danny Fallabella, Stephen Hoey, Claudio Munoz, Craig Schurmann

The team will next assemble for it's next training and testing phase on the Anzac day long weekend in April, with the Team to attend the Asian Games in Akita, Japan to named shortly after.

SUBMITTED BY LES KARAYAN - 28 February 2004

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2003 AUSTRALIAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS

RollerHockey Australia Best Player Award: GLENN COOK - Mordialloc Senior Division

2003 AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS

NEW RENO GEAR ARRIVES

Click on the link to view the latest in equipment for the 2004 season from RENO!

JORGE LOPES HOLDS 1st CAMP WITH NATIONAL SENIOR SQUAD

Jorge Lopes the new Australian Senior Coach has recently visited Australia from Portugal to hold the 1st Session with the National Squad. The camp held from Nov 13-15 was judged a success by those who participated.

The attendance of players competing for positions was not as high as the Management would have liked, however there is a solid base to work with. There is the possibility of a few player now throwing their name into the ring as word of the good work Jorge has planned is spreading.

The teams first test will be the Asian Champiuonships to be held in June 2004 in Akita, Japan.

NEW COMP DUE TO KICK OFF

The 2004 RHA - RENO Australia Day Cup will take place the Austrlalia Day 23-26 January.

Limited to only Senior division, the Cup will put the best Clubs up against each other in a first ever pre-season warm.

With great awards and prizes to be won, make sure you come down the the Dandenong Showground for a look at the best players the country has to offer on show.

SUBMITTED BY LES KARAYAN - 28 July 2003

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NEW RENO GEAR COMING SOON

With the new European season due to start shortly, Reno has released it 2004 range of equipment.

The new equipment includes a 'prestige' range of gloves & knee pads. New wheels to rival the Roll-Line Rapido and Forester range, and wait until the goalkeeper's see the latest designs for kicker & gloves - Armani eat your heart out!

The latest gear will be on display at the 2003 Club Championships, see Les or Steve for details.

NATIONALS ARE COMING OUR WAY

The dates for the 2003 National's have been confirmed. From Sunday 28th September to Thursday 2nd October for the Australian Club Championships and the Nationals on Thursday 2nd to Friday 3rd of October.

The Championships are to be held at the Wodobga Leisure Centre. The ARHC are expecting a good turn out as they have received quite a lot of interest so far.

So far we may have these teams participating at the clubs:

Juveniles: Beachworth, Stafford, Glen Innes, Campbellfield, Dandenong, Mackay

Youth: Beachworth, Stafford, Glen Innes, Dandenong, Campbellfield, Mackay, NZ

Juniors: Scorpions

Ladies: Stafford, Glen Innes, Campbellfield, Scorpions, Mackay

Seniors: Stafford, Glen Innes, Skateabout, Caloundra, Mordialloc, Lisport, Dandenong, Campbellfield, Australian Juniors, Scorpions

Masters: Beachworth, Scorpions, SA Masters, Qld Masters

RollerHockey Australia will be there, so come by and say hello.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIR FOR THE MEN

The much awaited announcement for who will be the Australian Senior Men's coach has been released.

Jorge Lopes from Portugal has gained Australia's top coaching job. A two year position, Jorge will take the Aussie team to the next B Group World Champs. As Jorge will be traveling here for training camps during the year, the ARHC will be nominating Coaches Assistants in each region to assist Jorge with training the squad while he is in Portugal.

Many of us will have fond memories of Jorge from his trip around Australia holding coaching clinics. Jorge is formerly the Portuguese National Ladies Coach and is currently the Portuguese National Coaching Director. High Performance Manager Jamie Reid expects that Jorge will have his first visit in October or November.

STAFFORD REGAINS TITLE

In a match that promised everything but resulted in anti-climax, Stafford defeated Skateabout to regain the Qld Senior division title. The QLD Championships were held at the Beenleigh Arena (venue of the 2002 Club Championships) in Late July 2003. The participation of the Mustangs added some new blood into the Senior division. Although only receiving 4th place, the Mustangs were always in the hunt with a few close games.

A decrease in numbers from North QLD was noted and has been a topic of concern due to the loss of The Dragons from Mackay and many of the remaining Townsville players.

Result are as follows:

Juvenile: 1st Mustangs, 2nd Glen Innes

Youth: 1st Mustangs, 2nd Glen Innes, 3rd Stafford

Ladies: 1st Stafford, 2nd Glen Innes

Senior Men: 1st Stafford, 2nd Skateabout, 3rd Glen Innes, 4th Mustangs

Awards:

Bernie Higgs Trophy for outstanding Goalkeeper: Andrew Clayton - Mustangs

Val Humberdros Trophy for outstanding Ladies player: Jess Davis - Stafford & Jessica Bradley - Northsports

Frank Nugent Trophy for outsatndinging Men's player: Anthony Elliott - Northsports

SUBMITTED BY LES KARAYAN - 28 July 2003
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CALLING ALL LADIES!!!

Recently appointed Australian Ladies' team coach Errol Heagney has put the call out. A week long training camp has been organized in Glen Innes (NSW) to commence on the 6th and go through to the 11th of July.

The ARHC (Aust Roller Hockey Committee) has sent out information to the clubs, however if you would like more details about the camp you can reach Errol at the Glen Innes rink on (02) 67 321 900 or (02) 67 325 886. All girls wishing to try out for the team are encouraged to attend the camp and join the squad, not only for this year but for up coming campaigns also. The camp is designed to pick players the next Aussie team and identify talent for the future. If you would like further info, please email Team Manager Ken Bradley: Maztrow@bigpond.net.au

WHO WILL PICK UP THE MEN'S JOB?

The always controversial appointment for the Australian Men's coach will be made shortly. With nominations closing on the 23rd May much speculation has been made in the build up to the announcement.

With Chris Shah bowing out after a 4 year stint in the top job, rumors are abound on the FORUMS page as to who will get the job and what the main selection criteria will be for the team. A hint has been made by the ARHC that the team will be comprised of younger aged players.

The ARHC is remaining tight lipped as an appointment is expected within days.

SOUTHERN QLD LEAGUE KICKS OFF

The Brisbane based Southern Region League will be commencing this month after a 5 month lay-off. The league has a new format which will see it run over only 6 weeks. The new format is designed to reduce the player's cost (great idea!) and attract more commitment from the players. Games will be on a home/away basis however players will pay for their games at the start of the league, encouraging player retention.

The new league sees re-emergence of the ex-Revolutions club with the return of Steve Capewell from his stint with his son Phillip in Portugal. The team has re-formed as the Caloundra Kings and will player their home matches on the Sunshine Coast. Glen Innes will also be entering teams in the league, continuing their consistent participation over the past 2 seasons.

SUBMITTED BY LES KARAYAN - 23 May 2003
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VIC's ONLY DAYS AWAY

The Victorian Championships are commencing Easter weekend. Over much to'ing and fro'ing over the dates a field larger than last year will assemble next week at the Sunshine Skating Rink. Mordialloc the regular Senior division favorites are boosted by the announcement that the Paco de Arcos club will not be entering the Vic League Championship team. Rink Proprietor Rene Munoz feels disappointed at the level of support and example the Seniors are showing the kids. Of the 3 clubs that call Sunshine their home rink only one (Cambellfield Cannons) are entering a senior team in the Vic's.

All other divisions will be contested by clubs including Albury, Beechworth, Campbellfield and Dandenong, with the Intermediate (equiv. Youth) division being the most hotly contested with representation from all of those clubs.

Results will be posted on RollerHockeyAustralia.com at the completion of the tournament.

Mr. Munoz confirmed that the VIC League will commence shortly after completion of the State Titles.

MEN TO RE-VISIT AKITA

The Australian Men's team has been invited to Akita, Japan to take part in the 2003 Asia-Pacific Skating Championships. Akita has been visited by the National team in during the 2001 World Games.

This will be the first time in over 10 years that the Australian Team has been invited to the Asia-Pacific Games. This tournament is thought by many to be an important bench-mark for regional Roller Hockey. The Asia-Pacific games may indeed become a qualifying event if Roller Hockey decides to take on the 'Soccer World Cup' style of regional qualification for the World Championships in effect disbanding the segregated A & B Group World Roller Hockey Championships.

No decision will be made on the format for quite some time but the participation and the success of Australian Team at such benchmark events is critical, not only for the funding of our sport but for the Australian Team to gain vital overseas experience and confidence.

Unconfirmed rumors state that the Australian Ladies team will also be invited. In-line hockey, artistic and speed are also expected to be sending National Representation.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN TWIN CITIES

The recent ARHC (Australian Roller Hockey Committee - Governing Body) meeting in Brisbane concluded that the 2003 Australian Club & National Championships will take place in Albury-Wodonga. The comp is to take place reportedly in the Wodonga Leisure Centre.

The championships will take place in September/October with the competition format yet to be finalized.

RHA is looking to confirm all of these details so as always, we'll keep you posted.

NEW HOCKEY CLUB FOR BRISBANE

Wynnum PCYC and the Stafford RHC are fostering the commencement of a new kids's hockey school at the Wynnum PCYC.

Player's will be recruited with a demonstration this weekend as part of National Youth Week. Hundred's of flyers will be handed to every kid that comes. Schools in the local areas will also receive brochures to give to the kid's which are interested.

The brochure produced by RHA will be available for purchase from this web-site under the Club Support link. A high-res PDF will be available for downloaded for editing.

SUBMITTED BY LES KARAYAN - 12 April 2003
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RHA RE-LAUNCH.
A NEW PLAN TO HELP AUSTRALIAN HOCKEY

Since it's creation in January 2001, Roller Hockey Australia (RHA) has fast become Australia's biggest importer of quality Roller Hockey Equipment. With stock from most of the leading suppliers, RHA has developed a trusted reputation within the Hockey community.

As company Directors, myself (Les Karayan) and Stephen Hoey are continuously working to make our business more accessible to our customers.

We will now be posting new news items weekly - so send them in.

Roller Hockey Australia's ethos is to offer both the best roller hockey equipment and now provide support for the entire player base of Australia.

RHA will be launching a series of new 'challenge' competitions throughout the year in various venues with the aim of making the game more interesting and enjoyable across all levels of the game.

Promotion is a big thing for RHA. Without player's, our business is not sustainable. Our goal is to support clubs and competition so that Hockey increases and maintains it player base.

The new web-site has a new look as well as new features.

Hockey Shop: The latest and Greatest Roller Hockey Equipment shipped to your door.
News: Updates of all the going on's around the Nation.
Photo's: RHA will contain and archive a selection of new and historical photo's of Australian Roller Hockey.
Guest book: A controversial favorite! The old Guest book format will remain, however the addition of a Monthly Forum Topic will run on a parallel page.
Leagues: Up to date league results and ladder placing's.
Competitions: How much do you know about Roller Hockey - Join in our competitions! A new one each month.
Newsletter: Up to date news and product specials are sent to you on email each month. Simply join our mailing list.
Hall of Fame: Ever wondered who our greatest players were? Now you can find out. We will be periodically inducting individuals into the RHA Hall of Fame.

AUSTRALIA DISAPOINTS AGAIN

After limited build up, with an under-strengthed team, the Australian Men's Roller Hockey Team finished 9th out of 10 at the World 'B" Championships which were held at Uruguay in during December 2002. With players dropping out for various reasons in the weeks prior to take off, the team was hastily assembled and left for Chile at the start of December.

With a game against a local team to warm up, the Aussie Team took on the Chilean National team ranked 6th in the world. The result was 8-2 in favor of the home team. Post-match spirits were high however as the team meshed well in the second half to have a result of 2-2. Some of the pre-game tactics were realized in the second half which left team and management confident as they were achieved against a higher quality opposition than was expected in Uruguay.

After a day off in Uruguay it was announced that the first game against Egypt would be forfeited due to the non-participation of the Egyptians.

This left the team Aussie's to face the home team in the "Waterdome' - the name given to the stadium by the players.

After demolishing the Kiwi's the night before in front a vocal partisan crowd, the team was still confident and proceeded with high expectation of a good result.
The goal scored by Uruguay in just 15 seconds rocked the Aussie team and sent the crowd into a frenzy. With the desire to get a result the team pushed and played catch up and was in touch until the last few minutes of the match when 3 goals nailed the victory shut for the home team.

Do or die was the mission for the next match - a must win against the old nemesis the Kiwi's. With a close series earlier in the Australia knew we had to put pressure on them to force mistakes. After a very close game, a goal in the last minutes all but ended our hopes of a top 8 position.

The one chance there was relied on a result between Macau and Austria to go our way - it didn't.

A battle for last and and second last was to be wagered between Australia and South Korea. A 2 match series to see who would finish in last place.

After the disappointment of the previous results, Australia won the fist match in a very lack-luster style which almost lost them the match.

The next match against South Korea saw a re-emergence of the typical Australian work ethic as the team demolished there opposition so that any doubt cast by the last match would be quashed.

The final results saw the favorite Andorra beat a very strong Colombia who under-achieved in England 2000. England was the final team to go through to A division after a good win over the home side Uruguay.

Team Members of Australia 2003: Stephen Hoey (c), Les Karayan (vc), Claudio Munoz, David Corliss, Carlos Fernandes, Sean Tuckett, Pedro Basilio, Tony Weiller, Chris Shah - Coach, Ben Webber - Manager.

NEW COACH TO GUIDE LADIES TEAM

The much-anticipated announcement of the Coach for the Australian Ladies Team for the 2004 World Championships has been announced.

Team Coach: Errol Heagney
Team Manager: Ken Bradley

Errol and Ken have a good working relationship as they are founding members of the Glen Innes 'NorthSkate' skating club.
Ken previously the National Chairman of the ARHC and Errol a past member of the Australian Team and Coach of the Australian Ladies team in the 90's hope to breath new life into the National Team.

Errol 'hopes to see a strong national championships' and a 'large base of players trying out for positions' to ensure that the team has the goods at the Worlds.

It is anticipated that a squad will be formed prior to the Nationals, however a calendar is now in the formation stages, and players will be notified accordingly.

SUBMITTED BY LES KARAYAN - February 2003
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