Thierry Brinkman walked through the rain on the Wilrijkse Plein in Antwerp on Tuesday evening with a satisfied grin. His jacket pulled up, the newly won gold medal dangling happily around his neck. Just like last year, the Orange captain and his team had won the Pro League. Still, that victory doesn’t feel like the same, but rather like the next step.
They had just finished all the festivities on the field, just after the game. Cup in the air. A cheering photo with a lot of players, who all participated in this Pro League with the Orange. Another one everyone is watching. The well-known Pro League fireworks on the assembled honorary scaffold. The stands have now been vacated by the largely swarmed Belgian fans. It was all the result of the final hurdle of the country competition, which was decided on Tuesday. The 4-2 victory , which Brinkman describes as a ‘nice victory.’
“Belgium was dominant at times and pushed us backwards at those moments. But based on the entire weekend, we played well and deserved to win’, said the captain of Orange, who also cited Saturday’s impressive 6-1 victory. Belgium came out much better on Tuesday, in a match that was full of riots. “Maybe they were a little frustrated. That may have been due to the backlog. It didn’t go the way they used to. And in the heat of battle things sometimes happen.’
The alleged aftertaste and the clinking cup
For example, there was an incident with Arthur De Sloover, out of sight of the press and the public, who allegedly struck. ‘I didn’t get any of that at that time,’ says Brinkman. “After the break, the referee came to me to talk about it. She said that nothing was done about it at the time, but that the images were recorded by the TV. At that time I was mainly concerned with winning that match. I wanted to move on.’
The conversation is briefly interrupted by the entrance of Koen Bijen. With the golden Pro League cup, the energetic attacker proudly rambles through the mixed zone, the place where all interviews take place afterwards. ‘Take it to the dressing room,’ says Brinkman with a laugh. ‘It’s a bit heavy,’ replies Bijen, holding the rattling cup with some difficulty. “And there’s something loose somewhere.”
It definitely didn’t spoil the fun. At Orange they were happy with the harvest, which was not the main goal. ‘It’s a nice prize on the way to more,’ says Brinkman. ‘In international hockey you can win four prizes. The Pro League is then the smallest of those four. But if you can get it, of course you won’t miss it. I think it’s great that we celebrate here with a large group. Also with guys who didn’t play today, but were part of the team and were present. That made this win extra special. We really did it with a lot of people.’
The growth after a long season
That was already a contrast to the previous Pro League season, in which the composition of the Orange varied less extreme. ‘But I think the best difference is that we have really grown now. And that after a long season. That is very nice. Jeroen Delmée said it already: we want to be better than after the World Cup. Now, shortly afterwards, I find it difficult whether or not I succeeded. Maybe. But we have shown everyone what we are capable of anyway.’
Because, says Brinkman: ‘The Pro League is an extremely difficult competition to win. You have to be constant over different moments. I think we’ve gotten better at that. We have grown. Are able to be dominant in the opponent’s half at times. We want to set the lower limit as high as possible. And I think we’ve been playing a little bit better over the past few weeks.’
The group Delmée started with when he was appointed in 2021 has matured. Moreover, new talents emphatically press their noses against the window. ‘We are still a group that is growing,’ says Brinkman, receiving yet another congratulations.
“Yes, we have played quite a few games in the Pro League now. But many guys still only have one final tournament behind them. We are still ‘quite new’ in this. In this Pro League we showed that sometimes it doesn’t even matter that much who is in it. That is a huge strength of the group. And I think it’s a very nice signal towards the future.’
Holiday with a good feeling
With more (won) caps behind the name and a larger pool of internationals, the Orange is taking steps towards the world top. “I think we’re getting closer. But we’re not there yet. We are capable of hurting all opponents. We keep growing and we should. It’s all so close together. Look at the final result of the Pro League, the best countries are close to each other. And the European Championship will also be close…’
Before the sights can really be set on Mönchengladbach, Brinkman has a holiday. One that he faces with a smile, also because – unlike after the World Cup – he is physically in good shape. ‘I joined after the matches in Eindhoven and felt very good. It took some searching, but in the end the load – six games in total – was perfect.’
The Black Eyed Peas classic ‘I gotta feeling’ blares over the complex. That feeling is fine with Orange. In fact, the summer couldn’t have started better. Brinkman waves off laughing, on his way to the dressing room where the cup is stored.
by Hockey.nl
