Hobart duo Eddie Ockenden and Josh Beltz completed another perfect Commonwealth Games hockey tournament, extending the Kookaburras' unblemished record to seven straight wins and adding two more gold medals for Tasmania in Birmingham.
Having stormed through their group, Australia survived a huge scare against England in the semi-final at the University of Birmingham Hockey Centre before steamrolling India 7-0 in the final through goals from Nathan Ephraums and Jacob Anderson (two each), Tom Wickham, Blake Govers and Flynn Ogilvie.
They finished with 39 goals scored and four against with Beltz claiming his first gold medal and Ockenden his fourth, having never lost a match at a Commonwealth Games and been part of finals victories that finished 8-0 (v India, 2010), 4-0 (v India, 2014), 2-0 (v New Zealand 2018) and now 7-0 again against India.
"I thought it was getting closer because it's 8-0, 4-0, 2-0 so I thought today it could be 1-0 and a close one and I'd take that, but with the chances that we created, we were always going to score a few more goals," said the 35-year-old four-time Olympian.
"Playing like that was really impressive to see from the back, guys creating really good shots and finishing off really well. And the no goals against I think is key. In finals, if you're not letting goals in, we're always going to score."
"The semi was really tough and sometimes you have those games and you just have to overcome them, so to win that one in a game where maybe you're not playing well, is a test of character."
"It was a fantastic game. I think we played really well so I'm really proud of the team. When you play so well, it's really nice."
Playing his 71st match for the Kookaburras, 27-year-old Beltz added Commonwealth Games gold to the Olympic silver he won in Tokyo.
"It's been unbelievable," he said of his time in Birmingham.
"I grew up watching Eddie play the Comm Games so to be alongside him at one is really special. And Australia has got such a great history, not just in hockey, but in general at the Commonwealth Games, so to continue that legacy is really, really special."
"Having Hilary, my girlfriend, and both her parents and my parents here is incredible and to be able to share the moment with them is really cool."
"It's been a special experience. To come away and not lose a game and then win a final like that is emphatic and something I'll reflect really fondly on."
"To win 7-0 is more than we could ever have expected. So there's a bit of relief but also very proud to get it done as well."
"The tournament had its ups and downs. We put a lot of goals on early and felt like we were in good form but that game against England goes the other way and it's a very different result. So good in the good times but we had to grind through the bad."
Australia's most-capped international, Ockenden ends the tournament on 398 appearances and is not in any mood to retire yet.
"My career feels like it's gone quick but it's been quite long. When you're a kid and think I'm going to go to Comm Games and Olympics whatever, you just don't think you're really going to do it, you just want to play for Australia. But then you get a chance and it's been incredible. You won't find anything else in your life that you can do so passionately I don't think. To be able to play hockey and do what I do for so long, I'm very, very lucky."
"The Comm Games have all been so good and so different but looking back I've been very lucky to have been part of some really good teams, some great guys I've played with and became great friends. The things you look back on are those guys. In 2010 I played with guys at the end of their career and now I'm playing with guys who are just starting their careers and that's really exciting. I just look back and think of great teams, great friends and great times. It's been really fun."
"The competition's fun but the next few hours afterwards when you savour the victory with each other, that's probably my favourite thing."
After receiving his medal from his namesake Prince Edward, Ockenden was asked how long he would keep playing.
"We'll see what happens. If I'm playing well, I'll give myself a chance to make squads and I'm pretty happy to keep trying."
"I think Paris (Olympics in 2024) will come round really quickly but we have the World Cup in six months. That's the really good thing about hockey, we've always got things coming along. I know the Olympics is the big one, every four years, which we definitely aim for, but straight after that last year we had the Comm Games coming up, then a World Cup, there's always something there which is really good."
The Australian team flag-bearer for the Games admitted it had been fun watching the success of his fellow Tasmanians.
"It's been great being able to follow the other Tassie athletes. I think Georgia (Baker) did amazingly well. It was incredible to see the medals tick along. Going through the tournament, we have to wait til the end, you don't want to get too excited, but it's amazing to see the amount of medals we've had in the last couple of Comm Games."