Super Series 9s will be T20 version of hockey

Perth: World's most feared field hockey forward Jamie Dwyer believes the forthcoming Hockey 9s Super Series will transform the sport, the way Twenty20 format influenced the game of cricket.

The twice FIH Player of Year award winner says Hockey 9s will provide more thrill to spectators like T20 which ensured a flurry of sixes and fours in an innings.

"Hockey needs a shorter version to entertain spectators.

Sixes and fours were few in cricket till T20 was invented. In hockey 9s, I expect more goals. This is what spectators want," the most capped (254) current Australian player, said.

Dwyer will form part of the Australian strike squad chief coach Ric Charlesworth announced for the forthcoming Lanco International Super Series Hockey 9s. The novel event gets on board on Thursday here.

"If the Hockey 9s clicks, the rest of countries will catch up with, it will prove to be a boon for the promotion of sport," the striker with amazing tally of 160 international goals, asserts.

The Athens Olympic gold medallist relishes the fact that the new format with less number of players, nine against traditional 11, favours free flow of the game and facilitate more goal scoring avenues.

"I am not a defender or goalkeeper. My job is to score goals. If the new rule would create more goal scoring opportunities, its good for me, I will savour it. I will definitely go for goals," Dwyer says with lot of excitement in his eyes.

The Australian said the team had a practice match on the new format recently, and found it very exciting.

"I found the game is now open for skills, speed and accuracy. There is no unwanted stoppages. Stoppages time has become practically nil compared to traditional match where even pre-penalty corner phase takes a minute or so."

In this connection, he recalls the expertise needed to convert penalty corners in the old format, which is not required now for the hockey 9s.

"You needed expertise in drag-flicking to convert penalty corners. Now any good forward can do that. Because, new penalty corner rule entails skills of a forward too. No specialisation is must. The game is now more open," he felt.

Dwyer, who played cricket before taking up hockey full time, is a keen follower of cricket and expect changes are must for any sport to prosper in this competitive world.

"Let us emulate what cricket proved worth, T20 in hockey," he said before wounding up the discussion.