Hockey: Australian helps our keepers take hits

New Zealand goalie Paul Woolford (left) takes instruction from former Australian international Damon Diletti. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Questioned on why an Australian hockey player would bother crossing the Tasman to help New Zealanders, goalkeeper Damon Diletti, quick as a flash, responds: "We, too, have a gold medal now."

Obviously, victory for the Australian men in last year's final at the Athens Olympics which ended a painful 28 years following their loss to New Zealand in Montreal in 1976, has eased some bitter memories.

And it has led to ongoing co-operation between the two national bodies. After all, New Zealand women's coach Ian Rutledge is a dinkum Aussie.

Back to Diletti.

One of just over 500 people worldwide to have won medals at three different Olympic Games, Diletti, 33, has very much "been there, done that" but without the recognition field players enjoy.

It is not easy being decked out in a helmet/mask, unwieldy gloves, an all-encompassing body suit, leg protectors and kickers.

It gives an anonymous look to the men and women who defend their "cage".

But it is a specialised art, demanding different skills, as national coach Kevin Towns is the first to acknowledge.

"Most coaches are happy to put goalkeeping training in the too-hard basket," Towns said. "It is something they admit to knowing not a lot about. For that reason we felt it was a great idea to get Damon over."

Diletti jumped at the chance.His philosophies make interesting reading.

"Unlike the players in front of you, goalkeepers actually want the ball to hit them," said Diletti, a veteran of 133 matches for Australia in a career stretching from a first international in Holland in 1991 to his last at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Of suggestions there is a touch of the loon in anyone wanting to stand in goal with hockey balls whistling by at unbelievable speed, Diletti said: "No. Just brave. You need to have confidence in your own ability - and the equipment.

"The equipment has come a long way from the days when a keeper wore a pair of cricket pads and not much else."

In his time working with New Zealand goalkeepers, Diletti's emphasis was on honing skills, especially reflexes and reaction times.

"Goalkeepers get better as they get older, mainly because they understand the positional demands better.

" A good keeper can make two or three saves in as many seconds but it is all about maintaining balance.

"Ability and agility are key factors. Apart from drag-flicked penalty corners, most saves are made on the ground."

Diletti worked with several goalkeepers in his time in New Zealand, including current internationals Paul Woolford, Kyle Pontifex, Anita Wawatai and Beth Jurgeleit and former international Michael Bevin.