With a bronze medal, the men from Rotterdam said goodbye to their EHL adventure on Monday. The won consolation final against Kampong (2-0) felt like much more than a battle for the podium. It was a loaded duel full of emotion, played with a mission. ‘Against Kampong it was about showing character. We had said to each other that we wanted to give Jeroen something back.’
Jeroen, that is of course Jeroen Hertzberger. The 39-year-old attack leader will say goodbye to Rotterdam after this season and played his very last matches ever in the European top competition in the past few days.
Just as the German Florian Fuchs, with six EHL titles, is affectionately called Mister EHL , you can also stick that honorary title on the name of Hertzberger. Since the first edition of the Euro Hockey League in 2007-2008, no one has been as accurate as he is. The always scoring striker was already at the top of the top scorers list before this Easter weekend with 47 goals. Against Old Georgians (twice) and Gantoise (once) he reached the iconic milestone of fifty goals.
‘That Jeroen is saying goodbye to the highest European podium makes me, but also the team, emotional’, Rotterdam captain Thijs van Dam responded afterwards. ‘When you see what was released after the 2-0 against Kampong, the tears of Hertz, the joy of everyone… That is what makes sport so beautiful. And that is what we do it for. That we were able to show the right character in that duel, that is what I am proud of.’
Thijs van Dam receives congratulations from Jeroen Hertzberger after his goal against Kampong. Guus Jansen on the right. Photo: Bart Scheulderman
At breakfast at a quarter past six
It was not so easy for the Rotterdam players – including Hertzberger – to finish the EHL well. The elimination against Gantoise on Saturday after shoot-outs had left a deep wound. A new dent in the ambitious plans that were damaged shortly before by frequent loss of points in the Hoofdklasse, making the play-offs almost unattainable.
‘It has clearly not been the season we had in mind’, says Van Dam. ‘We will have to look at that very critically later. But when I look at Monday morning… We are playing a match at a quarter past nine in the morning that we actually do not want to play. We were already having breakfast in the hotel at a quarter past six, together with the boys from Kampong. Then I am proud of how we presented ourselves. We came here to win that match and that requires a certain behaviour and appearance. We said to each other that we wanted to give Jeroen something back for everything he has given this club in recent years. That we succeeded, we can enjoy that for a while. Although we will have to look in the mirror very soon.’
Emotional weeks
The main player himself fought back tears in the final phase of the match. In the catacombs of the Den Bosch stadium, he spoke with a lump in his throat. ‘It has been an emotional few weeks since the announcement of my departure from the club’, says the EHL top scorer of all time. ‘I have been able to stay strong because I have focused on hockey. A number of guys said they wanted to play this match for me. I don’t need all that, but I think it is nice. It is a credit to those guys that they are aware of my last EHL match. I really appreciate that.’
Hertzberger fights back tears in the circle after the battle for bronze with Kampong. Photo: Bart Scheulderman.
Hertzberger almost didn’t even get to play the EHL Finals in Den Bosch. A hamstring injury kept him out of the league match against Pinoké, the first major league match he ever had to miss due to an injury. ‘It’s a miracle that I was able to play three matches in four days. I worked really hard for thirteen days with our physio to get fit. He patched me up for this tournament, the old-fashioned way. I’m grateful to him for that.’
The magic of the EHL
With one and a half hamstrings, Hertzberger managed to score three times and provide an assist in three games, but he was still not entirely satisfied with his own contribution. ‘Statistically, it was a good weekend, but in the end I would have liked to have brought more to the ball,’ he says. ‘Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, also because of the adjusted substitution schedule. I played a lot less than usual. Too bad, but that’s the way it is.’
Jeroen Hertzberger and Thijs van Dam with the bronze EHL medal after the win over Kampong (2-0). Photo: Bart Scheulderman
When asked what he will miss about the EHL, he lets his gaze wander over the field and the stands at the Oosterplas. ‘Everything is just a little bit different. The referees are different, the cameras are in a different place, it is just a little bit different from what you are used to from the Premier League. There is just a magical atmosphere around that tournament. There are bizarre matches, many comebacks, a clash of cultures and playing styles. I think that is great. The interest in the tournament, the large fan bases, the familiar voices of commentators Nick Irvine and Simon Mason… It was great to be part of the EHL for so long. And then I didn’t even play for Rotterdam for ten seasons.’
by Hockey.nl
