Kieran Govers has taken his team Dabang Mumbai to the top of the India Hockey League in its third week of the competition in India.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Illawarra's Kookaburra has a new contract with the Mumbai team for a market fee of $US60,000 after missing last year’s edition due to a hip injury which also kept him out of the Australian Rio Olympic team.
Govers was bitterly disappointed to be left out of the new Kookaburra squad under new coach Colin Batch but hopes to return after the month-long Indian league.
He is enjoying his time with the Mumbai team under coach and former Kookaburra Jay Stacy and made two corner assists in the 5-2 win over the Kalinga Lancers in Bhubaneswar last week.
Last weekend his team went further ahead in the league when they beat holders Punjab Warriors 2-1 in Chandigarh scoring the winner in the last minute of the game.
Govers hopes to take the Mumbai team to the semis for the first time and hopefully the finals and more prize money.
This was Mumbai's seventh game of the league with an opening 3-3 draw with the Ranchi Rays who featured another Illawarra Kookaburra Flynn Ogilvie on a market value of $US10,000.
Dabang scored their first win beating the UP Wizards 4-3 followed by a convincing 10-4 win over the Punjab Warriors in Mumbai in the first week. Govers played for Punjab in his first season there.
Then followed another 4-3 win over the Delhi Waveriders, which featured another Illawarra Kookaburra Tristan White, but the Mumbai team lost their next games to Kalinga 4-3 and Ranchi 7-3.
Another Illawarra Kookaburra Flynn Ogilvie earned another $US1000 prize money as the most promising player in the game against Punjab although losing 1-0.
And Tristan White playing for Delhi scored their second win in the league beating the Kalinger Lancers 6-4 in Delhi last Sunday with White playing an outstanding role in midfield.