How Dutch Star Thierry Brinkman is Bringing Out his Hockey Excellence for Kalinga Lancers!

Thierry Brinkman is touted as one of the world’s best forwards in men’s hockey – the 29-year-old two-time Olympian and two-time World-Cupper has carved out a strong reputation as the man to watch out for in the 6th Men’s Hockey India League.

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The highly talented Netherlands striker, who also plays club hockey for Den Bosch back home, is showcasing his hockey excellence for Vedanta-backed Kalinga Lancers. The nimble-footed hitman kickstarted the 6th HIL on a quiet note even as the Odisha franchise did not quite have the start they would have desired and lost their first three games.

Brinkman living up to his billing has been one of the key factors behind the Lancers’ success story in the HIL. The Dutchman came into his own slamming a sizzling hat-trick – the first of the league in a 6-0 decimation job of Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers – he has scored in crucial moments of the game and and is now the league’s top goal-scorer with 8 goals.

The opportunistic traits of Brinkman came to the fore against Delhi SG Pipers when he churned out a ‘steal’ off Varun Kumar to score Lancers’ third goal in that match. The manner in which he charted Lancer’s splendid comeback against Delhi SG Pipers where the latter trailed 1-4 at one juncture underpinned his utility to the side. The way he finished off a Gursahibjit Singh pass to score against the Pipers and subsequently slotted home an Antoine Kina pass showed the pedigree he possesses.

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The start of the HIL campaign were challenging for the Valentin Altenburg-coached side. “The first few games were a tad difficult because we arrived after Christmas and our first game was three days after the league started on December 28th, and we were still in the process of knowing each other much better. It was really tough because you were at the pitch and sometimes you don’t know the names of all the players,” he says in an exclusive interview with Hockey Passion.

The ace Netherlands striker, who has scored 80 goals from 187 international appearances, reckons the Lancers found their groove once the league wore on. “The outcome of the first few games may not have gone in our favour but to be honest, we weren’t playing bad hockey and were unlucky as well. The shootout loss to Tamil Nadu Dragons could have gone either way and we missed a penalty stroke against Soorma Hockey Club two minutes before the end. We are getting better with each game but yes, we had to wait pretty long for our first win,” he opines.

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Kalinga Lancers are very much in contention for a semifinal berth and Brinkman is sanguine about the same. “The confidence is our team is growing all the time and it is in our own hands to qualify for the semi-final,” he quips.

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The Den Bosch player rates Tamil Nadu Dragons very highly. “Tamil Nadu Dragons are a dangerous team because they’re really effective inside the ‘D’. For example, if they are in the circle 12-13 times, they are able to score five goals that means they don’t need a lot of chances to score and that explains why they are the tabletoppers,” he makes his point.

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The conversation veers around the 2024 Paris Olympics final against Germany, where Brinkman gave Netherlands the lead in the final quarter of the high-voltage clash and subsequently scored again in the shootout to play his part in the Dutch team crowing themselves in glory. “There is no bigger stage than the Olympics and the fact that I was able to help my side take the lead and pulled off a shootout goal is highly satisfying. It has to be the most important goals of my playing career,” he reels off with a tinge of contentment.

For someone, who has been to India on several occasions ever since featuring for the 2013 Junior Men’s World Cup in New Delhi, Brinkman has developed a penchant for Indian food. “I love rice with paneer butter masala for lunch or dinner – as for breakfast tomato cheese omelette is something I also love to have,” he signs off with a grin.