Hockey: Hager's in the record books despite a drag flick no show

Mark Hager. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Mark Hager and Teun de Nooijer are rarities in the world of international hockey. Think goals and thoughts immediately turn to the drag flickers - players like Sohail Abbas, Taeke Taekema and even now retired Black Stick Hayden Shaw - who have made scoring an art form.

Yet, among these set-play experts, de Nooijer and Hager can hold their heads high.

The top four goalscorers in Champions Trophy history are Taekema (45 goals), de Nooijer (42), Abbas (40) and Hager (32). But, in Hager's case not a drag flick among them.

Now successfully coaching the New Zealand women's team, Hager was a legend in Australian hockey. He loved scoring goals - plenty of them - but from open play, not the somewhat contrived set up at penalty corners.

"I was a bit of poacher," said Hager modestly. "Mine were all field goals. I just ran and nipped the rebounds. I wasn't even involved in the penalty corner set up apart from hanging about for a rebound. I was fortunate in having good players around me."

Penalty strokes then?

"No. I wasn't very good."

Again, Hager undersells himself.

A first pick surely in any Australian Hall of Fame XI, he had a special affinity with the Champions Trophy. Hager played his first tournament in his then hometown of Perth and went home a winner. From that debut, he played in the next 10 tournaments and finished with a medal haul of four gold, three silver and two bronze.

"Winning gold as a young kid coming off the bench was a very proud moment," said Hager in looking back on a career which spanned 231 internationals in which he scored an amazing 179 goals. "We always treasured the Champions Trophy because it was a tournament we could aim for every year ... "

Early on, and at a time when there was not the interchange rule as it is now, Hager spent much time on the outside looking in.

"At that time it was close to being the best Australian team going round and with the rule as it was and me being a young pup, I spent a long time on the bench."

And, he never got to play an FIH tournament in New Zealand.

"I would have enjoyed that."

He is looking forward to this one as he will be back sharing television commentary duties. "I'm sure the New Zealand guys will lift their game because of the home support. You seem to be able to grow an extra arm and a leg with the crowd behind you as you saw when they beat Argentina in the Olympic qualifier."

And, unlike many of his early Champions Trophy tournaments, Hager picked up his medals without the agony of having to play a final. The trophy was decided on a six-team round-robin - five games and line-up for a medal. Of the more recent changes, including the "auto pass" when a player can play a freehit to him or herself and get on with it, Hager said he would have struggled.

"I look at it now and wonder how did we play the way we did? The auto pass and the interchange rule have taken hockey to another level. No more stopping arguing with the umpire. By the time you do that play has moved on and you are left well behind."

Hager, in the third year of his contract with Hockey NZ, has no doubts this will be a top-class tournament.

While he says he still has the "flame" for his countrymen, he will still be cheering for [coach] Shane [McLeod] and the Black Sticks.

So will be plenty more, and creating an atmosphere Hager says will be like visiting teams' experience when they face the All Blacks.