Hidde Brink (26) was upset when he heard in January that he would not be allowed to join the Orange to Australia. After the Pinoké goalkeeper was first invited to the training group in October, it soon became clear that he was Jeroen Delmée’s third choice after Maurits Visser and Derk Meijer. His winter was suddenly turned upside down when he was able to embark on a 28-hour journey after all – on his own.
In October, Hidde Brink couldn’t believe his luck when he was invited for the first time by national coach Jeroen Delmée to join the Orange training group. It was make or break for the goalie, who has been first choice at Pinoké for seven years. He knew there would be room after the Olympics and that he had been watched for a while. But the wait was for an invitation.
‘There have been moments when I wondered if the moment would still come,’ Hidde Brink begins his story honestly. ‘A goalkeeper always needs a little more time. Then you don’t just move on from the youngsters. I knew I had to be patient. There are only three spots. But the waiting was sometimes difficult.’
No more waiting for a chance
Brink sometimes wondered last year what he wanted. But standing still and waiting for an opportunity to come, he didn’t want to anymore. He decided to make moves. To apply for a job. To start his social life. He signed a contract with a consulting firm in September. A month later, the Orange invitation came.
Maurits Visser (Bloemendaal) and Hidde Brink (Pinoké) at Orange. Photo: Willem Vernes
‘I thought it was very special to experience,’ says Brink. ‘Of course I did some math last year. That there could be room. Above all, I was very much hoping for it. I had been working toward it for years. It was also kind of now or never.’
Since October, Brink’s life has completely revolved around field hockey again. He wants to see where his bar lies. The extra workouts with the Orange did him good. ‘I’m third choice, but I feel like I’m going in the right direction,’ he says. ‘I’m getting closer and closer to the other guys,’ he adds. ‘The extra hours of training are doing me good. Like training with better goalkeepers. Or defending better penalty corners. This is very good for my development.’
Delmée’s nightly message
Brink’s winter was packed with hours in his goalkeeper suit, but it did not come to a first international. He was not selected for the first Pro League matches late last year (against Belgium and Germany) at Wagener Stadium and the duels with Australia and Spain in Sydney also passed him by. ‘That was bummer. When the boys boarded the plane, I decided to focus on my work and club again. Was I out of it.’
Until he woke up a week later and read a message on his phone from Jeroen Delmée. The national coach had asked him in the middle of the night – because of the time difference – if he wanted to come to Australia after all. This was because Maurits Visser had injured his toe. Delmée wanted him to be there as backup. The message: pack your things right away. Brink was wide awake immediately.
Photo: Willem Vernes
“It was a bit of a switch, but also super cool,” Brink says. The same day the ticket was already booked. ‘It was my first trip with the Dutch team. I had never experienced that before. I knew for sure that I wanted to go that way. In whatever role.’ Within 24 hours the Pinoké striker was on the plane and after a 28-hour journey he was on the other side of the world. Still half bewildered as to what had happened to him.
Got to sit on the bench once.
He did not make minutes in Sydney. But the coach had already discussed that possible scenario with Brink. Derk Meijer played two goals and Maurits Visser was recovered enough to play the other two games. ‘I was allowed to sit on the bench once,’ Brink said. ‘That was already a step in the right direction.’
Brink is humble. Grateful that he has been able to experience this. ‘I got to experience everything. I stood for hours training with Simon Zijp, while everyone else was busy with the game. Of course I would have liked to play. Wanted to make my debut. If I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t have been part of this group. I want to be full of fight. But I’m really honest when I say I really enjoyed this.’
Photo: Koen Suyk
Flying on your own – from one day to the next – to the other side of the world without having been allowed to play a single minute. Go figure. And even with that knowledge, Brink would do it again immediately. This Sunday, he will make his first minutes. But not in the Orange, but dark blue. Then he will play with Pinoké against Amsterdam.
I got a taste of the life of an Orange player and I really liked it. I want to experience that more often.
I think there will be another goalkeeper. One with a richer experience. You take everything with you. How you prepare a corner, how you approach things tactically, how you tackle the video. We can do something with that at Pinoké. But I really want to show myself. I got a taste of the life of an Orange player and I really liked it. I want to experience that more often.
His Orange dream
He hopes to prove and show himself in the coming weeks at Pinoké, so that he too can make his debut. Not on the other side of the world, but nearby. After all, in June, the Dutch will play six times at Wagener Stadium (two-a-side matches with India, Ireland and Argentina) and two matches in London against England. “I know I have no guarantees, but I want to be able to show myself during one of those matches.
Then he concludes with his Orange dream. The Olympics in Los Angeles. ‘I have to wait for my chances, but I want to be there in 2028. I’m going to do everything I can in the time ahead to get better.’ With a wink, ‘I’ll be 29 years old then. That seems to be the best age for a goalkeeper.’
by Hockey.nl
