Oz confident of defending Champions Trophy crown

World and defending champions Australia arrived here on Sunday for the 2014 Champions Trophy, confident of going all the way with a team in transition. 

The Kookaburras looked upbeat on their arrival. Led by the highly skilled Eddie Ockenden, Australia are aiming for an encore of 2012 when they beat The Netherlands for the title.  Coach Graham Reid said: “We will be playing as we do. As you know there are some rule changes with four quarters now (and 60 minutes) and that’s the game changer in the tournament. With the new rule, we are working on a few things. We won the Champions Trophy in 2012, but this time we have a younger inexperienced team.” 

Australia, who were stunned by India 1-3 in Perth recently, open their campaign against England on December 6. Captain Ockenden commented, “it’s good to be here again. I have been here in the city for the Hockey India League before. Our aim is to do well and hope we will have a good tournament. All the opponents will give us a tough fight but we are ready for the challenge. When India toured Australia recently, they beat us three times. We have learned from our mistakes and will try not to repeat our mistakes.