1979 -

Jamie Dwyer, who scored the gold-medal-winning goal for Australia’s men’s hockey team at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, wears the number 1 on his back. It’s a figure that symbolises his status in the game of field hockey … he has twice (in 2004 and 2007) been named as the world’s best player. He led Australia to gold medals at the Champions Trophy in 2005 and 2008, and was a gold medallist at the Manchester (2002) and Melbourne (2006) Commonwealth Games. The 2004 Olympic victory, achieved dramatically with Dwyer’s goal in extra time, gave Australia its first gold medal in the event in 48 years. At the Beijing Olympics, Australia’s Kookaburras (ranked No 1 in the world) were unexpectedly beaten by Spain (ranked fourth) in a semi-final, but went on to win the bronze medal by trouncing the Netherlands 6-2. The gold medal went to Germany.

Dwyer, born in 1979 in Rockhampton, began his career with the Queensland Blades before moving to Canberra on a scholarship from the Australian Institute of Sport. He made his international debut in 2001, and wasted no time in tormenting opponents around the world. In 2002 the international federation FIH named him as Young Player of the Year after a season in which he scored 24 goals from 34 matches. After the Athens Games, Dwyer complemented his service in the Australian team with club stints in India, Spain and the Netherlands (where he met his wife Leoni). His will to win was a big factor in Australia’s victory in the 2008 Champions Trophy in Rotterdam.

Harry Gordon, AOC Historian