Times of India: Ciriello roped in as analytical coach of Indian men’s hockey team
BENGALURU: As the Indian hockey team got down to practice in Tauranga, New Zealand, this week – to prepare for the four-nation invitational hockey tournament – there was a fresh face amidst them. Former Australian drag-flick specialist Chris Ciriello was among the coaching staff. According to sources, the 32-year-old Ciriello has been roped in as the national senior men’s team’s analytical coach, pending approval from the Sports Authority of India.
The post of the analytical coach has been vacant since September last year after Hans Streeder quit following the sacking of chief coach and fellow Dutchman Roelant Oltmans. Hockey India had advertised for the post immediately but no appointments were made. In the run-up to the Hockey World League Final, the team was joined by Raoul Ehren, former coach of Dutch side Den Bosch, for a month.
Ciriello is the youngest among the support staff and comes with the reputation of being a fearless defender. Nicknamed ‘the big dog’, the six-footer from Victoria shot into limelight in 2014 when he scored hat-trick in the finals of both the World Cup in The Hague and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games to guide Australia to twin crowns.
Apart from his role of providing real-time inputs to chief coach Sjoerd Marijne, Ciriello will be a huge value add to the team with his specialization of drag-flick. He also shares a good rapport with most of the Indian players having played against them and teamed up with a few of them during the Hockey India League in which he represented Punjab Warriors in the past. Ciriello has Indian roots with his grandfather, Rudolph Pacheco, having played for India before moving to Australia.
Ciriello, a regular in the Victorian Vikings domestic team, captained the side at the Australian Hockey League last season. He has also coached at the college-level and a women’s hockey club in Perth. He has also worked as a fitness trainer for Olympians.
Once SAI approves his appointment, Ciriello is expected to arrive in India in the second week of February when the team will regroup for the Commonwealth Games camp after a two-week break. Both SAI and Hockey India officials were unavailable for comment.
Dravid visits the camp
India’s U-19 coach Rahul Dravid visited the national hockey team during their practice session and spent some time with them. Dravid is currently with the team for the U-19 cricket World Cup.