In the world of Australian field hockey, Rosie Malone is a bona fide superstar. Seen as a shoo-in for Australia’s Olympic team, the Hockeyroos, she was shockingly snubbed for the team in July 2024. Malone appealed the decision, but was denied.
She subsequently posted an emotional message on Instagram, accompanying a video interview filmed in May 2024, when she assumed she’d be a lock to compete in Paris. “At the time I had no idea my Olympic spot was in jeopardy,” she wrote in the caption. “When I watched it back a few days ago, I realized I saw a girl sitting there feeling like no matter what she did, what she achieved, what she gave back to sport and to the people around her, for some of them, nothing was ever going to be good enough.” She continued by listing all her achievements in the sport, and then added, “What defines good enough? I honestly don’t even know anymore.”
While fans were stunned by the decision, former Hockeyroos coach Georgie Parker shared his theory behind Malone’s omission from the team. “I’d assume that the explanation from the coaching staff is the fact that she’s only scored one goal in her last 15 games,” Parker said in an interview with Wide World of Sports. However, Parker also understood why that would be such a tough pill to swallow for an athlete who had expected, “rightly so,” to have a spot on the Olympic team.
