Northern Canoe Polo

Duncan Cochrane Interview- 2002 World Championships and Australia's Chances
What current positions do you hold in Australian Canoe Polo?
I am Vice Chairman of the NAtional Committee and National Coaching Director. I am also on the ICF Polo Rules Advisory panel and the ICF athletes Commission representing Canoe Polo and other non olympic disciplines.
What is your personal goal for the 2002 World Championships?
Personally to play as well as I can and assist the Aus team to achieve our team goal of being the best we can be- which may also include winning.

What do you consider to be the most important fitness component for canoe polo?
Speed and Recovery as well as a high base skill level overall. At the worlds good skills and team work and more important than total fitness level- but then again you cannot play at this level without a being quick and recover fast.
As a coach, what are the qualities of a player that you believe help Australia to succeed against the rest of the World?
Most definitely individual skills. Our players have traditionally had an exceptional base level of passing, shooting, blocking and kayak skills. Combine this with good tactics and great team work and the results took care of themselves.
How important is the role of captain and vice captain in the team dynamic?
This depends on the team. Personally when I was captain I tried to play like normal and was not overly concerned with the title. However with a less experienced team I had to do a bit more and try to help new players learn to cope with all the different aspects of competing internationally.
Do you consider differences in refereeing interpretations to be a major factor when playing at Worlds, or is it easy for you to adapt to the circumstances? What are the greatest differences in interpretation?
No, we have always tried to just play it as it is called. You get some good ref's, some bad and some terrible but you just play on until the whistle goes. The biggest differences we have always found is the increased use of illegal paddle and obstruction in Europe whereas we tend to get penalised for boat tackles.
You've won the World Championships before. Do you think your current ranking, 5th, gives you an easier path to the Medal dias? Who stands in your way?
I don't think this year in the Men's it really has much effect as there are 8 groups so it is not until the 2nd or 3rd rounds that the gamesa re really going to get close. In the Women's draw however with only 4 groups it could get very hard as it is quite feasible that 3 of the top 4 teams will end up in one group with only 2 progressing to the finals. At the end of the day if you are good enough to beat all the teams you play- you can win the worlds- if you can't, you won't. This year I think current form says that Holland, Germany, GB, and France are the teams to beat.
What do you consider most important when playing European teams- tactical play or one to one play?
Both! You need the tactics to make use of your skills both individually and as a team, and you need the skills to make the most of your tactics.
Do you need to play in Europe to beat European teams? Why/ why not?
We have always had 3-4 weeks in Europe to get used to the syle of play, the differeing interpretations, the different skills and tactics and to get over the travelling and climate issues. It has always worked well for our teams so we keep doing this style of tour. Do you need to play in Europe- not sure but is has worked for us!
At the last World Championships we saw Italy and Germany "play" (and I use the term loosely) a nil-all draw to keep Australia out of medal contention. Water under the bridge, or a motivational spur? Is holding for a nil-all draw a tactic you would now consider using at Worlds?
This is not something I would ever do and I have been a big supporter of trying to make sure it never happens again. Whether deliberate or not it was a terrible way for two teams to play and was definataly a blight on our game. Whether it is a motivational spur or not I am not sure- we'll wait and see what happens if we play Italy or Germany this year, but it is not something we have dwelled on. Our philosophy is we should never have put ourselves in that position for it to occur in the first place.
Many thanks to Duncan for a candid and informative response to our interview. To follow the fortunes of the Australian team, check out the World Championships Website and stay tuned to Northern Canoe Polo for on the spot reports from Germany...