Hockey Australian Kookaburrra Jamie Dwyer named FIH 2009 Men’s Player of the Year
09 Dec 2009
Jamie Dwyer’s status as one of Australia’s greatest sportsmen has been reconfirmed, with the 2004 Athens Olympic gold medallists today named the best men’s hockey player in the world for the third time.
Dwyer was announced as the FIH 2009 Men’s Player of the Year on 6 December.
Dwyer has become the second person along with Netherlands striker Teun de Nooijer to win the award on occasions having also won in 2004 and 2007, while he was also named the FIH Young Player of the Year in 2002.
In further good news for Australian hockey, 20 year old Casey Eastham has also today been named the FIH Women’s Young Player of the Year.
Eastham is the first Australian to win the award since Angie Lambert in 2001. With a number of retirements to key players at the conclusion of the 2008 Beijing Olympics including the likes of Nikki Hudson and Melanie Wells, Eastham emerged as the face of the new look Hockeyroos squad in 2009, helping lead the Hockeyroos to silver at the 2009 Samsung Hockey Champions Trophy in Sydney earlier this year.
She was the youngest member of the Hockeyroos 2008 Beijing Olympics squad at 19 and undoubtedly has a big future ahead of her.
