Men's Hockey World Cup 2018: 5 midfielders to watch out for

#1 Eddie Ockenden (Australia)

Ockenden leads a midfield that is worthy of a champion side

In a squad of World Champions, brimming with unbridled talent, incredible skill, and ruthless efficiency, cementing one's place requires consistency of the highest order.

Following his debut in 2006, the 31-year-old Tasmanian is now one of the most-capped Kookaburras players with 332 international appearances. Indeed, Eddie Ockenden has made his mark as one of the best midfielders of all time.

Under the tutelage of the great Ric Charlesworth, Ockenden was part of the Australian team which beat India 8-0 in the final of the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010, and scored in the final of the Delhi World Cup, the same year, to help his side beat defending champions Germany.

A three-time Olympian (bronze-medalist in 2008 and 2012), Ockenden scored in the bronze-medal match against hosts India in the 2014 Champions Trophy at Bhubaneswar and was part of the Australian team which won the Champions Trophy gold in 2016 and 2018.

Ockenden is the seniormost member of a side that possesses, arguably, the strongest midfield alongside the redoubtable co-captain Aran Zalewski, Daniel Beale, and Tom Craig.

The retirement of veteran Mark Knowles following the Commonwealth Games has meant that veterans like Ockenden have had to step forth and assume a leadership role in a side which aims to capture their third successive, and fourth overall World Cup title.