On Friday 26 April, the group phase of the inaugural FIH Pro League reaches its half way point when the Germany’s women face the Netherlands at the Mönchengladbach Hockeypark. The 64th match of the bold, groundbreaking global ‘home and away’ competition will be immediately followed by Match 65 as the Germany and Netherlands men’s teams take to the field at the iconic host venue of FIH Men’s World Cup in 2006.
On the eve of one of the most fascinating and enduing rivalries in international hockey, it is the perfect time to reflect on what has been a dramatic and action-packed first half of the FIH Pro League, where the world’s finest teams and players have produced some wonderful moments over the previous 63 matches.
Whilst there is a lot of hockey still to be played, the race for that all-important top four finish in the Pro League - which brings with it the duel prizes of berths in October’s Olympic qualifiers and June’s showpiece FIH Pro League Grand Final at Amstelveen’s Wegener Stadium - is very much up and running.
There have been some scintillating moments in the women’s competition. 2018 world champions the Netherlands(points percentage: 85.71) have shown their staggering strength in depth, with head coach Alyson Annan seamlessly blending numerous exciting youngsters with the existing players to lead the way at the top of the standings. Four wins from five away matches coupled with two home wins ensures that the mighty Dutch remain the team to beat.
The tricky 2018 endured by Argentina (83.33%) has well and truly been forgotten thanks in no small measure to the return of brilliant 34-year-old striker Carla Rebecchi and head coach Carlos Retegui. Rebecchi - who returned to the international stage after a three-year absence and less than a year after starting a family - has been in sparkling form up front, while former Argentina men’s defender Retegui has introduced a steeliness to the backline that has seen them ship just nine goals in ten games and included a remarkable four-and-a-half match, 234-minute run without conceding. Las Leonas are, indeed, roaring once again.
Belgium’s Red Panthers (72.22%) have also been baring their teeth in recent months, tearing up the FIH World Rankings to become serious challengers for a top four finish. The lowest ranked team in the competition have been a revelation, with their superb away wins over New Zealand and Australia, the latter being the only team to beat the Netherlands in the first half of the season, giving an indication that that there could be plenty more to come from the team coached by Niels Thijssen.
Despite home losses against Belgium, New Zealand and Argentina, Australia’s Hockeyroos (62.96%) can feel proud of their performances at the half-way stage, especially after their superb 5-0 Anzac Day victory over the Black Sticks in Auckland this week. With only away matches left to play, their form in Oceania - aided by some wonderful individual displays from goalkeeper Rachael Lynch and Mariah Williams - leaves them in fourth place and very much in contention.
Outside the top four, it is Germany (53.33%) who are the nearest challengers in fifth position, having opened up a significant gap between themselves and sixth-placed New Zealand (36.36%) thanks to their differing results this week. Germany’s 2-0 triumph over Great Britain on Wednesday combined with New Zealand’s home defeat against Australia has created something of a gulf between the two sides, although much can change over the next two months.
The bottom three positions of the FIH Pro League ladder are occupied by Great Britain (27.78%), China (23.33) and USA(12.5%). Olympic champions Great Britain will be looking forward to getting their home campaign underway after six matches on the road, while China and USA have both shown occasional moments of brilliance in the first half of the season. China goalkeeper Ye Jiao has been in sensational form so far, while draws against high-flying Argentina and Belgium certainly suggests Janneke Schopman’s promising young USA team has some real potential.
Just like the women’s competition, it is the reigning world champions who sit at the top of the standings in the men’s FIH Pro League, with Belgium’s Red Lions (80%) continuing the outstanding form that took them to the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 title. Shane McLeod’s sideclaimed three wins and two draws from their opening matches despite having played four of their five matches away from home. Superb victories on the road against Argentina and Australia were complimented by a sensational 7-3 thrashing of Spain in Brussels earlier this month, where the exceptional Arthur Van Doren gave yet another hockey masterclass.
Australia (79.17%) sit just behind the Red Lions thanks largely to the comprehensive 4-1 loss they suffered at hands of the world champions at home in Melbourne. The Kookaburras have six wins from eight matches, seven of which were at home before travelling to Auckland this week to beat New Zealand 4-3. While Colin Batch’s team now have six successive away matches in which to seal their place in the top four, the Kookaburras have proven on countless occasions that winning on the road is very much second nature and they will be relishing the challenges that lay ahead.
Third-placed Great Britain (75%) have made a strong start to their FIH Pro League campaign by winning three of their four away matches, starting with a thrilling 6-5 victory against Spain in Valencia before Sam Ward hit a hat-trick in a 6-2 thrashing of New Zealand in Auckland. Danny Kerry’s team bounced back from a 2-0 loss to Australia in Perth by securing one of the standout results of the competition so far, as Alan Forsyth and Phil Roper both hit doubles in a remarkable 5-1 away win against Olympic champions Argentina (54.2%), who currently sit fourth in the standings. Los Leones - inspired by the excellent form of attackers Lucas Vila and 37-year-old Matias Paredes - have won four of their eight matches, beating New Zealand both home and away as well as home wins against the Netherlands and Spain.
The fifth and sixth positions are currently occupied by Germany (53.3%) and the Netherlands (50.0%) respectively. Die Honamas have been on the road for all of their five matches, picking up significant away victories against New Zealand and the Netherlands, the latter thanks to a solitary goal from Florian Fuchs. The team were beaten by Australia and missed out on a bonus point in a shoot-out loss to Spain, with their weather-cancelled meeting against Argentina in Rosario seeing a point awarded to both teams. The Netherlands made a strong start to the FIH Pro League when they claimed five points out of a possible six in Oceania, beating New Zealand and winning a shoot-out against Australia. However, a shoot-out loss to Spain’s Red Sticks in Valencia was followed by defeats against Argentina and Germany before normal service was resumed with a 4-0 home win against the Spaniards in Rotterdam. The result of the upcoming meeting between Germany and the Netherlands could be significant in the race for the top four places.
Seventh-placed Spain(29.63%) have been involved in some scintillating clashes so far, with their ability to recover from losing situations to force four shoot-outs - all of which they have won to claim valuable bonus points - earning them the title of comeback kings. They will be frustrated not to have claimed an outright victory in their nine matches played to date, something that competition top scorer Pau Quemada and co. will be looking to rectify in the upcoming games. New Zealand (7.41%) are rooted to the bottom of the table having played all of their home matches, meaning that they need to hit some serious form on the road if they are to climb the standings. However, they have rarely been outclassed, drawing with world champions Belgium and Spain while suffering single goal defeats against the Netherlands, Argentina (twice) and Australia. A place in the top four might be just out of reach, but they are certainly capable of winning matches and will be determined to prove their qualities in the second half of what is proving to be a fascinating debut season for the FIH Pro League.
FIH Pro League - the stats story so far …
After 63 matches (36 women / 27 men)
Women’s competition
Total goals: 131
Field goals: 77
Penalty corners: 51
Penalty strokes: 3
Top scorer: Olivia Merry - New Zealand (8 goals in ten matches)
Total number of cards: 78
Total number of green cards: 65
Total number of yellow cards: 13
Total number of red cards: 0
Highest scoring team: Netherlands (23 goals in seven matches)
Most team circle entries: New Zealand (214 in 11 matches)
Most team saves: China (47 in 10 matches)
To see more in-depth statistics from the women’s competition, click here.
Men’s competition
Total goals: 155
Field goals: 111
Penalty corners: 38
Penalty strokes: 6
Top scorer: Pau Quemada - Spain (7 goals in seven matches)
Total number of cards: 52
Total number of green cards: 41
Total number of yellow cards: 11
Total number of red cards: 0
Highest scoring team: Australia (26 goals in eight matches)
Most team circle entries: Australia (190 in eight matches)
Most team saves: New Zealand (43 in eight matches)
To see more in-depth statistics from the men’s competition, click here.
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