OlympVics - Highlighting the pride of Victorian Hockey

In the lead up to the Paris Olympics, HV reviewed the Olympians board and has hand picked profiles of Players, Officials and Coaches who have contributed to the Olympic movement within Victoria.

This in addition to Amy Lawton who will feature for the Hockeyroos in Paris and Johan Durst and Nathan Ephraums who have been named as travelling reserves for the Kookaburras. Victorian Colin Batch will be Head Coach of the Kookaburras, while Jason Duff will be an Analyst, Dee Jennings is Performance Planning Manager and Anthony Potter is Assisntat Coach. We wish our Victorian's the very best in Paris and we will be following every step of the way. 

View the schedule of the Hockey at the Olympics and profiles of the current athletes here. Catch all the action live and free on Channel 9.

View the profiles below:

David Wansbrough OAM



Olympics: 1988 (Seoul) & 1992 (Barcelona)

Victorian Club: Camberwell

A dual Olympian who won Silver at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the first Men’s Hockey medal since 1976, and played over 200 games for the Kookaburras between 1985 -1998.

David also played in 10 Champions Trophies, winning the gold medal on 4 occasions and being named Player of the Tournament in 1997. Vice-captain of the Kookaburras from 1991-93, He received an Order of Australia Medal in 2015 for service to Hockey and remains a highly respected figure in Australian Hockey. David also remains involved at the local level as the Women's Premier League coach. 

Louise Dobson OAM

Olympics: 1996 (Atlanta) & 2004 (Athens)

Victorian Club: Goulburn Valley Hockey Association & MCC Hockey Section

A key player in the dominant Hockeyroos of the late 90s. She successfully won Olympic Gold (1996), 3x Champions Trophies, Louise's career spanned a decade (1995-2004) with 231 international matches and 54 goals.

A leader both on & off the field, she served as Vice-Captain from 2001 to her retirement. Beyond Olympic glory, Louise was a key member of the gold medal-winning Commonwealth Games team in 1998 and a World Cup participant. Her dedication and talent continue to inspire aspiring Hockey players.

Jim Irvine



Olympics: 1976 (Montreal), 1980 (Selected for Moscow - Boycott), 1984 (Los Angeles) & 2000 (Sydney)

Victorian Club: Greensborough Hockey Club

An Olympic silver medallist in 1976, Jim scored 69 goals in 168 internationals, more than 100 of them as vice-captain.

After his playing career he became a decorated coach. Jim was the assistant coach of the Kookaburras at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where The Kookaburras finished third. Later on, he went to the Netherlands, where he coached Amsterdam for three seasons (2001-2004) and won the Dutch title twice.

Jim was inducted as a HV Life Member in 2018 and into the HA Hall of Fame in 2020 for his service to the game.

Robyn Pascoe

Olympics: 1996 (Atlanta) & 2000 (Sydney)

Victorian Club: Doncaster Hockey Club & MCC Hockey Section/ Nunawading Ladies Hockey Club

Robyn is a dedicated technical official who has worked on the biggest stage. Robyn brings her enthusiasm for the game to Victorian Hockey and has a passion for teaching junior officials.

Awarded a HV & HA Life Membership in 1999 for her service to Hockey. Robyn is a MCC Life Member for Nunawading Ladies' Hockey Club, which merged with MCC Hockey in 1989 and a Doncaster Hockey Club Life Member. Robyn is on the HV Recognition & Awards Committee and also a part of HV's archives team. 

Chris Ciriello

Olympics: 2012 (London) & 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)

Victorian Club: Doncaster Hockey Club

Ciriello first made his debut for Australia in 2008 and racked up over 190 caps for the Kookaburras.

Known for his effective drag-flick on penalty corners, Ciriello was a key in the Kookaburras sustained success.

Over his career, Ciriello has won one Olympic bronze medal, two Commonwealth Games gold medals, two Championship trophies and one World Cup. Chris was the first person in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final.

Post his playing career, Ciriello worked for the Indian Hockey team from 2018-2020 and performed multiple roles including analytics coach, assistant coach and team manager.

Joshua Burt


Olympics: 2016 (Rio de Janeiro), 2020 (Tokyo) & 2024* (Paris)

Victorian Club: Mentone Hockey Club

Joshua is a much loved and admired member of the Hockey community, not just in Victoria but throughout the world. Not content with just coaching, Josh became the Manager of the The Kookaburras in 2010, a position he had worked tirelessly to achieve and loved dearly.

His game knowledge and respect within the Hockey community soon saw him appointed in his first international match (2011 Oceania Cup). From there he has risen through the ranks as a technical official, match manager and technical delegate at international tournaments around the globe.

Josh has been a longstanding Vic Premier League coach at both Mentone and Footscray Hockey Club for more than 15 years.

Rachel Dwyer OAM (nee Imison)

Olympics: 2000 (Sydney), 2004 (Athens) & 2008 (Beijing)

Victorian Club: Hawthorn Hockey Club

The standout goalkeeper is an Olympic gold medallist, triple Olympian, three-time Champions Trophy winner, dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist and a wonderful role model for aspiring Australian goalkeepers.

Rachel began playing Hockey at the age of six and represented Victoria in both under age and open age competitions. She debuted as an 18-year-old against Korea in 1997.

Rachel then progressed to play 207 games of Hockey for Australia as the country's number one goalkeeper.

Rachel won a gold medal at Sydney 2000 Olympics. She was remarkable in goals as the Hockeyroos conceded just five goals in eight games on their way to gold.

Colin Batch

Olympics: 1984 (Los Angeles), 1988 (Seoul), 2004 (Athens), 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London), 2020 (Tokyo)  &  2024* (Paris)

Victorian Club: Waverley Hockey Club

Colin is one Victoria’s most prolific Olympians heading to his 7^th Olympics. Batch is also one of the world's most decorated coaches and played over 170 international matches for Australia.

Colin’s first coaching experience on the international scene came when he was an Assistant Coach for the Kookaburras from 2001-08, during which time the Kookaburras won Olympic gold (2004) and bronze (2008).

Batch has been the head coach of the Kookaburras since January 2017, winning a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Judy Barnesby

Olympics: 2000 (Sydney)

Barnesby started her international umpire career in 1994 and 5 years later, Barnesby was promoted onto the World Panel.

Barnesby umpired over 100 international games including the following major tournaments:

5 Champions Trophies, 1 World Cup in 2002 in Perth & 1 Olympic Games at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

Judy was also only the second female AUS umpire to receive a Golden Whistle award by the FIH.

Judy was a HV Board Member from 1996 to 2010 and awarded HV Life Membership in 2016. Prior to the amalgamation Judy was also on the board of the Victorian Women’s Hockey Association.

Jay Stacy

Olympics: 1988 (Seoul), 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta) & 2000 (Sydney)

Victorian Club: Essendon HC & Camberwell HC

Jay Stacy, was one of the best players Australia has produced. A four-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medallist, he represented Australia in a record 321 games. In 1999, Jay was part of the Kookaburras squad that won gold in the Champions trophy, and in that same year he was announced the FIH international Player of the Year. 

He retired in 2000 as the most capped international player for Australia and there is even a statue of him in the Netherlands. Jay is currently the coach of the Burra's U21 team.

Coaching Career:
2010-Present Men’s Head Coach, VIS Hockey Program
2016-2017 Men’s Head Coach, Dabang Mumbai HC (Hockey India League)
2010-2018 Men’s Head Coach, Victoria Vikings (AHL)
2005/06 Men’s Head Coach, KHC Dragons (Belgium)
1998 Academy Coach, Oranje Zwart (Netherlands)

Rachael Lynch OAM

Olympics: 2016 (London) & 2020 (Tokyo)

Victorian Club: Greensborough HC & Camberwell HC 

Hockeyroo legend, dual Olympian, and powerhouse goalie with over 230 games for Australia! Her reflexes helped secure a World Cup silver medal and two Commonwealth Games golds! In 2019, Rachael was awarded the FIH World Goalkeeper of the Year. 

Rachael's impact goes far beyond the field. A registered nurse, she's on the frontline caring for others. She's also a passionate mental health advocate, serving as an ambassador for RUOK? Day.

Rachael currently serves on the Australian Olympic Committee's Athlete's Commission, ensuring athletes' voices are heard.