Hockey: Black Sticks defer to brilliance by Aussies

New Zealand's brave attempt at a repeat men's hockey medal predictably ended last night at the hands of some Australian brilliance.

The Black Sticks lost 5-2 to the world No 1 and reigning Olympic champions at the State Hockey Centre after being well in the match at 2-2 with 15 minutes left.

Goals to Gareth Brooks and Simon Child had New Zealand sensing an upset but the Australian juggernaut rolled on and booked a semifinal against Malaysia.

On Friday New Zealand play India for fifth, who were edged out of the playoffs by Malaysia on goal difference.

New Zealand paid for their sleepy first-up 4-3 loss to England, who sealed their semifinal place with a 5-1 hammering of Canada yesterday.

Yesterday was a repeat of the gold medal match at Manchester four years ago, and New Zealand faced a huge task against the 2004 Athens gold medallists who had scored 15 goals and conceded three from three matches here.

In 10 meetings since the last Commonwealth Games in Manchester, New Zealand had lost nine and drawn just one, in Cairns in 2004.

New Zealand were well satisfied with a scoreless first half dominated by dour defence and a brilliant save from each goalkeeper as Australia had four shots on goal to New Zealand's two.

Goalkeeper Kyle Pontifex, selected ahead of regular No 1 Paul Woolford, was outstanding early and produced a brilliant diving effort in the 27th minute to deny a Michael McCann deflection.

A minute earlier, Brooks had the best chance when he deflected a Blair Hopping hit only for a diving Stephen Mowlam to save.

The goal drought suddenly broke after halftime in a rousing, seesawing contest.

Australia opened the scoring when Mark Knowles dispossessed Blair hopping and cracked it home in the 40th minute.

Then there were three goals in four minutes - Brooks equalised from a reverse shot after leadup from Shea McAleese, a Grant Schubert deflection made it 2-1 then Child, 17, cracked a reverse shot in to equalise.

It all fell apart after that - a Luke Doerner drag flick gave Australia the lead back, then came Schubert's second from a goalmouth scramble and captain Jamie Dwyer nailed it five minutes from the end with a penalty stroke.

- NZPA