Stacy set to cross a milestone

By S. Thyagarajan

PERTH, APRIL 10. How relevant are statistics to field hockey is a point for debate. Unlike cricket, where facts and figures fascinate the chroniclers and millions of aficionados, interest for records in hockey had never been in sharp focus until a decade or so ago.

Therefore, it is difficult to convince many that Maj. Dhyan Chand had indeed scored more than 1000 goals in his career. There is nothing to authenticate this through documentary evidence, save for references here and there.

On the contrary, every run scored by Dhyan Chand's cricket equivalent, the great Sir Don, is preserved for posterity. If figures can convey the character and class of the man, they do so eloquently in the case of Bradman, rightly immortalised as the cricketer of the millennium.

The statistical evaluation in hockey has acquired a great deal of professional efficiency, thanks to the painstaking research and enthusiasm for shown by noted critic, Pat Rowley, whose compilation is reckoned as authentic and official. The system is now well established throughout Europe and Australia. Regrettably, the perfection required to maintain and work on records is yet to gain ground in the sub-continent. Unsubstantiated records circulate by word of mouth.

The teams presented to the Tournament Officials do not contain the number of caps won by each player. It is even feared some imaginative numbers are marked when there is official insistence.

Undeniably, figures constitute a pointer to judging a player and his calibre. The yardstick, at least in India, is the number of Olympics or Asian Games played. So a measure of deserved glorification has been granted to players like Dhyan Chand, Balbir Singh, Udham Singh, Leslie Claudius and Pargat Singh. There is a consensus that Pargat has indeed played more than 300 internationals, and currently the top rating on 300 plus stands in the name of Jacques Brinkmann of the Netherlands at 314.

Interestingly, the figure 300 has acquired an aura. Waiting on the threshold of crossing a milestone on April 12, when the second leg of the pre-Olympic tournament resumes at this Western Australian capital, is the tall, strapping Aussie, Jay Stacy. There is an of air expectancy. For, Stacy , `Joey' to friends and fans, will be the first Australian to cross 300.

This could happen against India, which is slated to take on Australia on Wednesday. This will also be an occasion to remember for all hockey fans here, nay, to the whole community, which has been observing the rise of Stacy into a figure to be associated with Australia's hockey heritage.

Stacy symbolises the synthesis, which Australia has fashioned in the sport, the amalgam of continental power and the sub- continental fervour and finesse. He represents the only remaining link between the old and the new. At 32, Stacy is the backbone of the squad, a mid-fielder of great ingenuity, fit and fluent. Every pass of his is a well thought out exercise, precise, purposeful and penetrative.

In penalty corners, he has been outstanding, as those who witnessed Stacy's lethal hits at the last World Cup in Utrecht would testify. That Australia failed to win the cup is another matter altogether.

A Victorian from Melbourne, and one who began playing the sport from the age of five, Stacy's stay in competitive hockey for a spell of 13 years is something to be admired and commended. That he has maintained the level of proficiency for 13 years on the synthetic pitches is in itself a tribute to his commitment, physical fitness, motivational level and mental toughness. His record of three Olympics - 1988 at Seoul, 1992 at Barcelona and 1996 at Atlanta - and an equal number of World Championships - 1990 at Lahore, 1994 at Sydney and 1998 at Utrecht - apart from the 10 Champions Trophy appearances, is proof enough of his staying power and a place in the Australian hall of fame.

``I am all set for 300,'' a beaming Stacy remarked while posing specially for our photographer at Sydney. Like every Australian, he is anguished by the elusive gold medal, despite proven strength in every other level of competition. The biggest disappointment for him was the defeat at Barcelona in the final.

Will the new millennium see Australia go into the book of golds at the Olympics? This is a million dollar question today for the hockey fans and the administrators. No one is able to provide an answer why the Aussies have failed, notwithstanding the assembly of best talent in contemporary hockey in the three previous Olympics, and with such thinking coaches as Richard Aggiss and Frank Murray. There is optimism here that under Terry Walsh a golden dream can surface on September 30 this year at Sydney where the first Olympics of this millennium are to be staged.

Without a shadow of doubt, Stacy will be required to play a greater role and he is equal to the task.

The style, system and sophistication the Aussies displayed while overpowering the proficient German team in the first leg on Sunday impressed everyone, enough to view the home team as a potential medallist in the Olympics. Paul Lissek, the German coach, acknowledged it in so many words, while paying tribute to the Aussies for their awesome show. But Terry Walsh maintains that the team should be far more consistent and the rough edges must be sharpened once the final squad is named here.

More than going for 300 caps, what Stacy will undoubtedly cherish for the rest of his life will be a gold in September. And Stacy, certainly, is not alone in this vast country, where sport is a charming way of life, dreaming for the crystallisation of that moment.

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