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Commens to quit Hockeyroos

The Australian women's hockey coach Adam Commens has announced he will quit his post after the Olympics.

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Source: AAP


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Adam Commens will stand down as Hockeyroos coach at the conclusion of the Rio Olympics due to family reasons.

The former Australian international will relinquish his position in November after more than five years in the role.

During his reign, the 39-year-old Commens led the women's team to a Commonwealth Games gold medal, silver medals at the World Cup, Champions Trophy and World League Final, consecutive Oceania Cups and the Champions Challenge title.

The Hockeyroos have climbed from seventh in the world rankings under Commens to a high of second and they currently sit third.

Commens told players and coaching staff earlier this week he was returning to Belgium to be with his young family.

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"The most important thing was to make the decision based on what is right for my family at the moment, including my wife, Stephanie, who is pregnant, expecting in June, and my daughter, Olivia, who is seven and lives in Belgium," said Commens.

Having made his decision, Commens believes it has only served to heighten his motivation to pursue success at the Olympics.

"When you know that this is going to be the last opportunity you have with the Hockeyroos then what better way to go out than on a high and be successful, and to really have the team set up to continue in the future," he said.

During his playing career, Commens made 143 appearances for Australia, scoring 20 goals.

He was part of the team that won Olympic bronze at the Sydney 2000 Games and Commonwealth Games gold in Kuala Lumpur.

In Europe, as head coach he led Belgium to their first Olympic Games in 32 years, qualifying for Beijing 2008 by clinching bronze at the European Championships.

The Hockeyroos' next game is on Saturday in Perth, their fifth Test of a six-game series against Great Britain which is locked at 1-1 after two drawn matches.


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