The Australian men's and women's hockey teams have endured their fair share of joy and pain over the past year.
The Kookaburras' broken and bewildered faces were a searing image after they lost the gold medal match to Belgium at the Tokyo Olympics, in the harshest way possible — a penalty shootout.
And the Hockeyroos dealt with the intense fallout of an independent review that revealed a dysfunctional culture within the women's national high-performance program, prompting coach Paul Gaudoin to step down.
But both teams are once again ready to rise up, and make Australian hockey a powerful united force.
And the first stop is Birmingham, for the Commonwealth Games.
Commonwealth Games gold the target
When it comes to ruling the Friendly Games, the Kookaburras do it like no other team.
Since the sport's introduction at Kuala Lumpur 1998, they have won every gold medal on offer.
And as the current world number one, the hot streak looks set to continue.
"Things like the Commonwealth Games, you can go realistically, and we can put that expectation that we want to do well there, we want to play the finals, and we want to win," co-captain Eddie Ockenden told ABC Sport.
Ockenden will join Mark Knowles as the second hockey player to feature in four Commonwealth Games.
"There's been so many different teams and different people that have been put into that and we really celebrate the history of the Kookaburras," he said.
"It's something that's been really cool, especially for me being able to experience a number of them."
The Hockeyroos have won four from six Commonwealth Games gold, and after last year's challenges, the world number three is showing signs of getting back to its glory days thanks to a bronze medal at the recent Women's World Cup.
"[Our goal] is to play in that big game, to get the gold medal game experience. That's definitely what we're targeting," Hockeyroos coach Katrina Powell told ABC Sport.
"Now the test is OK, we've got ourselves into the big matches at the World Cup. But can we consistently do that now on the world stage? And Commonwealth Games is a really great test for that."
Hockeyroos great Powell wants to create the next golden generation
Powell took over as coach of the team four months before the Tokyo Olympics, where the team was knocked out in the quarter-finals.
COVID restrictions meant both the men's and women's team did not play in the FIH Pro League after the Olympics.
Although they missed out on game time, it gave Powell the chance to make her imprint on her team, and the results were clear at the World Cup.
It was an especially impressive outcome considering co-captain Brooke Peris was ruled out of the tournament with injury, meaning fellow skipper Jane Claxton was the only player left in the squad with more than 100 caps.
"We definitely have managed expectations around what we're here to do in Europe at the moment in terms of the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. With such a youthful team, we have to have our eye on Paris [2024 Olympics] as well," Powell said.
"And that's why blooding these young players, whenever now we get opportunities like this, we need to make sure that we're using them appropriately."
The Netherlands and Argentina have dominated women's hockey over the past two decades, and Powell is hoping to change that.
"There is definitely a gap between the Dutch and the Argentinians and us getting into that big match, the gold-medal game. That's our next challenge," she said.
"And then having the confidence to beat those two teams when that opportunity comes."
While Powell admits the team is not quite where it needs to be yet, she is used to a winning culture.
The 50-year-old was part of the much-loved Hockeyroos teams that won gold in Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, and she has taken plenty of inspiration from her playing days.
"We definitely had individual brilliance in our team; [I] got to play with Alyson Annan, and so there is that aspect of good players," she said.
"She didn't start out that way. Alyson worked really hard to be the best player in the world at the time, and we have that potential in our group.
"But I think that what made us the strongest was the quality and depth of our squad, so that no matter what team [coach] Ric Charlesworth put on the park on the day, the team could get that challenge done together.
"And it was all about preparation and making sure that we were best prepared, going into every match confident because we knew what we were being asked to do. And that is something that is definitely achievable."
Having been thrust into the role after a tumultuous period for the women's program, Powell admitted her coaching journey has been a wild ride so far.
"I'm really passionate about the Hockeyroos and so I think in everything that I do that at least comes out," she said.
"So even if you're making mistakes as a coach, one of our values is being authentic, and courage. So it's about having the courage to admit your mistakes, course correct, and then move forward."
Kookaburras’ talisman still going strong
The Kookaburras have been virtually unshakeable at the apex of men's hockey over the past 30 years.
They have won one gold, two silvers and four bronze medals at the Olympics in that time and finished on top of the rankings 10 out of the 19 years since they were introduced in 2003.
And one man has been at the centre of it all for a huge chunk of that time.
Thirty-five-year-old Ockenden is the most capped Australian player of all-time, with 387 international appearances.
He believes the Kookas' success and strong culture is helped by the home away from home they create at their base in Perth.
"We've produced really talented athletes and really high quality people," he said.
"I think a strength is [being able to] harness that young talent and raw ability, and we try to be a welcoming environment for people to improve quickly and prosper when we come over to Perth together."
As someone who is synonymous with Australian men's hockey, the Tokyo heartbreak cut deep for Ockenden.
But he has had enough time to heal.
"I reflect really positively on it," he said.
"A lot of stuff has to go right for you at the Olympics, and I've had a few where we've lost semi-finals and we didn't even get to play the gold medal game.
"It's really difficult losing the gold-medal game and winning a silver medal. And now there's still so much to think about, but there's nothing you can do about it.
"All the things that we were able to do and the way we trained in the lead-up without playing any games and the way we could go and perform, I think all those things were really positive."
Despite a lack of international competition over the past few COVID-affected years, Ockenden's passion for the sport has not waned, and there is no thought of retiring just yet.
"I think that's the most important thing, that I still really love getting up in the morning, going to training and trying to get the team better," he said.
"If you don't have that, then it becomes really difficult."
For all he has achieved, there is that tantalising Olympic gold medal missing – the team's success in Athens 2004 came just before his time.
But he has not committed to the 2024 Paris Olympics just yet.
"It'd be fantastic, but who knows, it's form and fitness and everything," he said.
"It's hard to say but I guess if I'm still enjoying it and I'm still playing well enough, then I'll try and keep playing and consider myself for selection."
Hockey begins on day one of competition – Friday, July 29 – at the Commonwealth Games. The Kookaburras are grouped with New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Scotland. The Hockeyroos are in a pool with New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland and Kenya.
