I've proved to people that I'm good enough to be in this Olympics: Jamie Dwyer

This will be your fourth Olympics and you are Australia's oldest hockey player ever to be part of the Games. That must make you feel old, isn't it?

Yes, it does (laughs). I actually didn't know that until it was mentioned to me. It does kind of make you feel a little bit old and also makes me realise that I have a few months to go until I finish playing hockey for Australia.
But yes, I'm extremely proud and very happy to be in the team again. I'm looking forward to representing Australia for the fourth time in the Olympics, which is a really satisfying as well as an exciting feeling at the same time.

Most athletes dream about making it to one Olympics, let alone four. How big an honour is it for you personally to board that flight to Rio?

It's definitely a huge honour. It's something that I never expected myself to do, to be really honest with you. When I played my first Olympics at the age of 25, I thought I could go to one more, or probably two more if I got lucky. But I never thought I would go to four, that's for sure. So I'm really excited about it, but at the same time I want to stay as focussed on the task as possible and think about what I have to do to perform well in Rio.

As a kid growing up in Rockhampton, Queensland, did you expect to be where you are now in your hockey career at the moment, gearing up for your fourth Olympics at age 37?

(Laughs) Well, I dreamt about it, but I never expected it. I grew up playing hockey in a pretty small town. It wasn't a much bigger place back then than what it is now. One day I woke up thinking that I wanted to play for Australia, but I never really thought that it would happen. Once I did play for Australia, I was really keen to play the Olympics. And then once I went to my first Olympics, I guess my hunger reached new heights and my eagerness really grew. I just wanted to keep going and keep playing as many times as I could. But when I was growing up, as a little boy watching the Olympics with a hockey stick in my hand, I wished one day I could go as well. But honestly, I never thought it was possible.

Two years ago, when you were dropped from the team, you could have chosen the easier path and quit the sport. What made you resist that temptation and pick the hard road of making a comeback?

It was quite difficult. I think if I had to make a comeback into the game when I was 25 or something, it would've been easier because I would've just kept playing. But at my age, which was 35 two years ago, I was at the crossroads whether I should retire or not. But the reason why I wanted to keep going was because I just love the game. I thought that I could still play a role in the Australian team and do it well. I wanted to be a part of that, because I didn't want to be retired for a long time. It doesn't matter if I'm 37 or 27, if I do my job for the team, that should be good enough.

You had said that you had a point to prove to people who thought you weren't good enough to play for Australia at this age. You've proved them wrong, haven't you?

I still have a little bit more to go. I want to do well at the Olympics, not just be a part of it. But yes, I think I've proved to people that I'm good enough to be there. I had a very good last couple of years on the field. I've scored 35 goals, played pretty well, was awarded the top player in the Hockey World League (HWL) last year. I still have to keep pushing forward, and make sure that I'm best prepared for the next couple of months.

In India, Leander Paes is going to play his seventh Olympics at the age of 43. What gives athletes like you and Paes that extra push to keep going even at this age?

Well, people like me just love the sport. We want to compete at the highest level as much as we can. We enjoy it so much. So that's really just the main factor. If the enjoyment's there, and if you can do it physically and mentally, then why not do it for as long as possible?

On the other side, we have many modern-day sportspersons taking retirement at an early age. Lionel Messi, for example, quit international football at 29. Do you think that fighting spirit is diminishing in modern sport, which leads to retirements in late 20s or early 30s?

I think they retire because their club is so important to them and their job. I mean, Messi is going to play for another six-seven years for Barcelona, I would imagine. Some golfers, for example, aren't playing in the Olympics because that's not what they dream to do. A golfer dreams to win a Masters, not the Olympic Games. That's their pinnacle. My pinnacle, and hockey's pinnacle, is the Olympics. And, I want to go and win it there. That's why I really want to go to the Olympics.

You had told this paper in your last interview that you were too stubborn to retire. So are you going to go on after this Olympics?

No, no. This will definitely be my last Olympics. I know I said that after London as well, but I'm a 100 per cent certain this time (laughs). I'll come over to India to play the Hockey India League (HIL), but as of international hockey, I think I'll have to retire and let the younger guys come through the Australian team.

You had a fairy tale Olympic debut, scoring the winning goal in the 2004 Athens final that gave Australia their first-ever Olympic gold in hockey. You'd be hoping that your career ends much the same way, won't you?

Oh, I hope it ends exactly the same way (laughs). But I don't think it's going to be that easy for it to happen. There is a lot of stuff that needs to be done between now and then for that situation to come up. But honestly, I just hope that I got there and perform well. And, more importantly, our team goes and performs better. We'll see what happens then.

Australia had settle for bronze in the last two Olympics. How confident are you that the country can reclaim the gold. You have a fairly strong team...

Yes, we have a strong team. But Germany have a strong team as well. I think they have to be one of the favourites, if not the favourites. Holland are playing beautiful hockey at the moment, they seem to win a lot of games. Then there's Great Britain, Belgium, who just keep getting better and better. So I don't think there's a huge gap between the first team in the world and the sixth team in the world. India are playing really well lately as well, and so are Argentina. They could easily beat Australia, Germany, Holland, Belgium, anyone. So it's going to be an interesting Games. I think it's a more open Olympics than all the others that I've been a part of.

You mentioned India, who have done really well lately, winning a historic silver at the Champions Trophy. Yet, there is a sense of unpredictability around them. Do you think that is what makes them a dangerous opposition for any team?

Yes. The Indians, I believe, have got a unique set of skills. They're not entirely European, they don't rely on corners as much as the Europeans. The Indians can score from pretty much anywhere. They're just naturally talented, individually great players. They've gelled a lot lately, they've got good connections with each other, and they've been playing a lot of hockey. I said about four years ago when I first came to HIL, that India will be a really good team in 4-5 years' time. And they're showing that now. They came third in the HWL last year, second in Champions Trophy. So they're getting consistent results. Their belief is higher than ever right now. I think they really believe that they can beat the top teams in the world.