The modern elite hockey game has changed the scoring emphasis and subsequent game results. Hockey in its simplicity has long been a team game which consists of defenders whose role was to prevent goals being scored and forwards whose prime focus was scoring field goals. However the game result in the modern elite game tends to be pinned to a side winning a penalty corner and drag flicking expert converting the penalty into a goal. The field goal seems to be a thing of the past. Why wouldn’t a coach play for a penalty corner rather than a field goal when their expert drag flicker’s conversion rate is the difference between winning and losing a game.
It is not uncommon to read in post-match reports a losing coach be quoted as saying their team lost as a consequence of their opponents scoring ‘soft goals’. In other words a minor breach that would not have normally resulted in the field of play as a goal is awarded with a penalty corner which is subsequently converted by the team’s drag flicker. Not begrudging the skill of a drag flicker but this writer has witnessed many times a team who by far have been the superior team on the day and despite being ahead in the scoring have lost in the end because their opponents possessed an expert drag flicker who became the sole winning difference.
Field Goals – is there anything better?
In over 50 years of playing hockey someone is yet to convince me there is something better than seeing field goals being scored. As a sport striving to enter into the professional status, hockey needs to increase its spectator value and that means seeing more field goals. The introduction of hockey 7’s and 5’s has helped this quest but this needs to be seen also in the traditional game format. I have been advocating for some time now that hockey leaders need to consider valuing field goals more than penalty corner conversions that certainly can be considered at times to be ‘soft goals’.
This step of valuing field goals more is now a reality. For the first time the 2015 Hockey India League will introduce an extra point for a field goal. As a result of this decision the HIL has come in for a lot of comment. Former Indian Hockey captain Dilip Tirkey said, “it is an interesting rule. Strikers, who were losing importance because of the drag flickers, will play a crucial role now on.” For the moment the new rule is confined to HIL 2015 but the possibility of the FIH accepting this for future tournaments cannot be overlooked now. The FIH CEO, Kelly Fairweather noted, “ we have been trying to find out different ways to see how we can bring the relevance of field goals once again. Drag flicks were assuming a lot of significance and teams relied too heavily on it. Our attempt is to encourage open play and since this was a significant change, FIH’s competitions and rules committee were consulted.” HIL organizers believe as a result of this decision HIL 2015 is sure to be more vibrant than the previous years. Hockey enthusiasts will be looking forward to more field goals than the staid drag flicks.
It will be interesting to see how hockey coaches respond to this positive change. If it is game improving let it be seen in 2016 as a major rule change globally.
Source: various
