The New Delhi Commonwealth Games began in plenty of
uncertainty.
It ended in what was always going to be a sure bet, that
Australia would head the medal count.
Not only did they finish at the top of the tree, they did so
by some distance.
Their 74 gold medals were almost double that of the host
nation India's 38, with England the best of the rest with 37.
New Zealand's final tally was six gold, along with 22 silver
and eight bronze.
Australia has now been the leading nation in the past six
Commonwealth Games and, as New Delhi drops the curtain on its
12 days as host, a familiar question is been asked again: Why
do the Aussies win so many medals?
Black Sticks women's hockey coach Mark Hager is probably as
well-placed anyone to give a view on the reasons, having been
on the inside and now the outside.
The Queenslander had a lengthy international playing career
for Australia, scoring 171 goals in 231 internationals and
winning Olympic bronze in 1996.
Hager, who took the Black Sticks to within a penalty shootout
of winning gold, said player numbers, sporting structure,
generous funding and youth development were all strengths in
Australian sport.
Speaking about his own sport of hockey, in which Australia
won both the men's and women's titles in New Delhi, Hager
said the top athletes were virtually fulltime, staying at the
Australian Institute of Sport for seven or eight months of
the year.
As well as the AIS, there were national training centres in
every state capital.
"They have the 20 best girls at the AIS and another 20-odd in
each capital city," he said.
"So you have a player base of about 100 you can choose from."
Another difference with New Zealand was that many Australian
sports put a strong accent on developing up-and-coming
talent.
"They've got a very good conveyor belt coming through," Hager
said.
"In hockey in New Zealand we are trying to change, but we
don't have a junior programme.
"We have a development programme but not as significant as
Australia's. Those sorts of athletes are getting exposure
every year in international matches."
Hager, who became Black Sticks coach last year, also pointed
to the different levels of funding between the trans-Tasman
neighbours.
In New Zealand, funding for high performance sports comes
from government agency Sparc.
"The first year I came, we had only $50,000 and this year we
have $600,000 from Sparc," Hager said.
"Australia is operating with a budget of around $2 million to
$3 million for their hockey programme."
He admitted that it could be frustrating not having the same
resources to work with as he would in his native country.
But he admired the dedication of his Black Sticks players in
the face of that hurdle.
Some of his charges travelled two hours to and from training
several times a week and that posed a large financial burden
on them.
"That's been a big plus that I've enjoyed in coaching the
women in New Zealand," he said.
"They're dedicated athletes and the money is not the biggest
issue for them. They just want to represent their country and
do as well as they can."
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