At 36, I'm running as fast as I was when I was 20: Jamie Dwyer

The 2016 Rio Olympics is about six months away. How is your preparation?
My preparation started a year ago when I came here for Hockey India League (HIL). I hadn't played hockey for a while and I really wanted to have a good year. Personally, I felt I had a great 2015. I need to improve on a few things. I need to go 100 per cent. It's my last six months of hockey. So I want to really go out with no regrets.

As for Australia, we're going pretty good. It's still a long way to go. We've got no injuries at the moment and everyone is playing good here in HIL. When we get home, we just need to gel together and make sure we play really good in Rio.

How much did being dropped for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games hurt you? And how did you turn things around to be where you are right now?
Well, I expected not to go for the Commonwealth Games because the World Cup was just before it. But the way I found out was disappointing, from Mumbai's ex-coach Ric Charlesworth. After that, I tore a ligament, which gave me time to think whether I should play for Australia again or I should retire from international hockey. I then spoke to our new coach Graham Reid, and we had another couple of discussions. I committed to the programme 100 per cent, and I put hockey first apart from my family. I just went for it. It showed last year, when I went through without an injury, I scored 28 goals in 30 games for Australia. So I felt good. The challenge is now to get better again, to play my role for the team and to keep improving. I'm pretty focussed, and I just need to do everything I can to play good hockey.

You've achieved everything there is to achieve in hockey. So what made you yearn for that comeback? Was it going out on a high or just having a shot at Rio?
Look, going into the Olympics is always amazing, but I think it's the journey which is really exciting. And that's what I've enjoyed the most from the time I decided to commit to it, which was in November 2014 till the end of Rio.

That whole journey excited me. I had a lot to prove to ex-coach (Charlesworth), and maybe to other people who said I'm too old or too slow. And I think I proved last year to myself and my critics that I'm still good enough. Now, I need to really go hard in the next six months. If I can finish in Rio, that would be really great. If I somehow get an injury or miss out, it's still the journey that I have really enjoyed being a part of.

But do you believe that great players deserve great farewells?
It's always nice when great players get that. But very rarely does it happen. You have to go out there and earn it, whether you're 18 years or 36. You need to put in the hard work and earn to go out on a high. Hopefully that comes to me. If not, I'm prepared for that as well. I've put myself in this situation, and not many people get themselves into it: to be knocked down or to be put on a pedestal. So I'm ready for all outcomes.

A lot of sportspersons are making comebacks late in their careers. We've seen a couple of Indian cricketers getting back into the national team in their 30s. Martina Hingis came out of retirement at 32. Will this be a trend in modern sport now, and would you like to call yourself a torchbearer of that in hockey?
I wouldn't say I made a comeback. I never officially retired. My coach tried to retire me (smiles). But I'm too stubborn to retire. But I think you're right. I've seen it more often now. I guess people think it is more possible. I'm 36, and I'm running as fast as I was when I was 20. And if you roll back to 10-15 years ago, no one would have thought it was possible. But athletes are much more professional these days in what they eat, what they drink, how they train. Everything is much more professional, and you can see the best players in the world still performing well at mid-30s. I don't know how old Sachin Tendulkar was when he retired (40). But yes, it's possible.

At 36, how do you manage your hockey, fitness, professional and personal life?
Well, I've got my life situation in pretty good balance at the moment. It's easy to prioritise: my family is No. 1 to me, and always will be. And then I've put hockey completely second for the next six months. So, everything I need to do to be the best, I will do it. And then I can work on everything else: JDH (hockey stick brand), my restaurants. So I know what I want, and I'm hopefully going to get it.

Is that a gold in Rio?
(Smiles) Look, I have confidence in my ability and the ability of the Australian team. But it's so, so hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Germany are an amazing team, they won the last two gold medals and when it comes to big finals, they know how to win. Holland and Belgium are getting better every single day. Great Britain have unbelievable players. And then you have your India, Argentina. Any one of those countries on their day can beat any team. So it's going to be a big challenge.

After hanging up your boots, are you looking at full-time coaching? You have a coaching website as well...
Yes, I really enjoy hockey. I don't want to stay away from it. I want to first concentrate on my hockey stick company, which will be getting into India soon. But I'd go for specialised coaching for starters, because I think with a young family, it's hard to be away for three-four months. I want to give back to my family as much as I can. I'd also love to coach in HIL.

If Hockey India gives you a call next year to coach the Indian team, would you consider it?
(Laughs) There's a very low percentage that would happen. I think Roelant (Oltmans) is doing a great job and there are other coaches who have more knowledge than me. But we'll see.

How do you look at the Indian team's Rio prospects?
They are improving. I knew after three-four years of HIL, hockey in India would improve. It's got to a level where they're competing. They beat us a number of times now, and they beat Holland. They've also beaten other very good teams in the world. Previously, they hadn't done that. So they're in there with a shot if they keep improving. The quarterfinal will help them, I think, because now they don't have to come top two in their pool, and they just have to win their last three games. But they'll need to play really good.

Let's talk about the HIL now. After being a vital cog of Punjab Warriors, how Was it with the UP Wizards this season?
It was good. Change is always good. It makes you work hard and feel a bit uncomfortable. It's been a challenge for me, definitely. In Punjab over the last two years, I played pretty well. They've got a lot of Australians and that helps a lot. It's challenging here, I've played some good games and some bad games. I guess my preparation was not as good as it could have been.

There's a lot of curiosity over the new rule in HIL of awarding two points to a field goal. Do you think it is worth a shot at the international level?
I'm not too sure. I really like it for the HIL, and they should probably bring it into the European Hockey League as well. What I do like about it is that you don't see many draws, for teams are going more for field goals than penalty corners. I like more field goals in the game. So it's a good rule, but whether they should bring it in internationally, I'm leaning more towards yes than no. I think it's a good thing for hockey.