Australia 4 Spain 4
Goals: AUS - Brent Livermore PS 19m, Grant Schubert FG 21m, Luke Doerner PC 28m, Travis Brooks FG 55m; Spain - Pol Amat FG 26m, David Allegre PC 35m PC 62m, Santi Freixa FG 45m
Hockey Australia: The Kookaburras and Spain fought out a well contested draw on Friday night in a high scoring, free flowing match that produced all the skill a contest between the two sides promised.
On a humid Melbourne evening, the Kookaburras showed the Melbourne crowd some of what they can expect in March when they opened the scoring at 19 mintes through a Brent Livermore penalty shot.
In a beautiful piece of team play, Dwyer and Brooks brought the ball into the circle where Brooks took a shot on goal, only to be illegally blocked and earning a penalty shot which Livermore had no troubles converting.
Three minutes later Grant Schubert made it two nil when some more work in the circle by Dwyer and Brooks left him open for the easy hit home.
Spain got on the scoreboard at 26 minutes with a wonderful piece of individual brilliance by Pol Amat, his diving goal giving Stephen Lambert no hope.
The Spaniards joy was short lived though when local boy, Luke Doerner's penalty corner flick at the 28 minute mark looked like it was going to take the Kookaburras into half time with a three - one lead.
Some more brilliance, this time from David Allegre, kept the visitors in the hunt going into the main break, his penalty corner conversion taking the score to 3-2.
After half time the match tightened up, however, but ten minutes in Santiago Freixa scored the equaliser with a running shot from the top of the circle.
Local boy, Travis Brooks, gave the Kookaburras the lead with fifteen minutes to play when Michael Boyce brought the ball into attack, finding him at the top of the circle, his flick finding the back of the net.
The lead was shortlived though when another Allegre goal gave Lambert no chance from a penalty corner play.
'It was a very even affair, good entertainment for the crowd but not where we want to be...Sunday's game there's a fair bit of improvement for us,' said National Coach, Barry Dancer.
'Over the next three of four matches we'll improve.'
