Dancer takes the floor at Hancocks

HE’S coached Australian teams to Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medal glory.

He’s travelled the world delivering successful strategies and inspiring players to reach their peak.

If Hancock Brothers Hockey Club players and coaches needed any motivation for the new Ipswich season, they received it from a loyal, world-class source.

Former Australian Kookaburras mentor and Ipswich hockey maestro Barry Dancer returned to Raceview on Monday night to give his club a professional presentation.

The new Hancocks A-grade coaching team of Adrian Pavitt, Ashley Dobbie and Steve Dodd were among the 30 people glued to Dancer’s presentation.

Pavitt and Dobbie were long-time teammates of Dancer when he was based in Ipswich for many years before venturing to England and returning to coach the Kookaburras.

“He’s an extremely knowledgeable man,” Pavitt said after listening to Dancer’s impressive presentation.

“You couldn’t have anybody better to talk hockey or to coach the coaches.”

Hancocks’ newly-appointed women’s A-grade coach Steve Dodd also asked plenty of questions as he maps his side’s 2010 direction.

During a two-hour session, Dancer showed why he is such a respected coach and communicator.

Covering topics like ball collection, decision-making, using angles, goal scoring and training drills, the Hancocks life member enjoyed being back at the club that developed his international career.

“I was very fortunate in being an Ipswich person that grew up through hockey and other sports,” Dancer, 57, said.

“I have always valued that. It clearly had a significant impact on my life.”

Dancer played 361 matches for Hancocks and lined up for Ipswich in 156 intercity games. He represented Queensland from 1967-81 and played 48 internationals for Australia from 1973-79.

Once rated the best halfback in the world, Dancer won an Olympic silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Games.

His major coaching successes were guiding Australia to gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Since ending his role as Kookaburras national coach, the former Ipswich Grammar School teacher has joined the Queensland Academy of Sport as one of the performance directors.

But he ruled out returning to coaching. “There’ll be no direct coaching roles for me I don’t think. I’m past that,” he said.

As he gave his presentation on Monday night, players were training outside on grass as upgrade work on the two new top-class fields continues.

“It’s a terrific thing to see,” Dancer said of the $1.5m upgrade.

“It will only give a great injection of enthusiasm around the association and expect that people will be lapping it up in the next few months.

“I imagine it will bring a few people back to the sport as well.”

• Keep reading your QT for more about the master coach’s return to Ipswich.