He was once the heartbeat of Australia’s forward line—speed, skill, and instinct all in one. But in August last year, Tom Craig’s life took a dramatic detour during the Paris Olympics. Craig, 29, was implicated legally following the Kookaburras’ quarterfinal exit last year in the Montmartre district after attempting to buy a small quantity of an unspecified controlled substance—a decision that stunned the hockey world and left his Olympic dreams in ruins. What followed was a 12-month suspension, during which six were suspended. Hockey Australia acted swiftly, enforcing a ban, integrity education, and welfare checks. Now, he’s back—and he has something to say.
Tom Craig is pulling the green and gold back over his shoulders again. In June 2025, just shy of a year after his arrest rocked the Kookaburras, which left his Olympic campaign in tatters, Craig will line up for Australia once more.
The first whistle? June 14 in Antwerp, where the Kookaburras face India in the European leg of the FIH Pro League. Then comes London. Then Berlin. And with eight matches left and Australia sitting sixth on the ladder—four points behind England—there’s everything to play for. “I take full responsibility for my actions,” Craig, who has recently played in the German Hockey Bundesliga, said, as quoted by Dailymail. “My actions are my own and by no way reflect the values of family, my teammates, my friends, my sport and the Australian Olympic team.” He added, “I’ve embarrassed you all, and I’m truly sorry.”
Even Australian chef de mission Anna Meares weighed in: “He is a good person who made a bad decision. But there are consequences that come with decisions like this.” The consequences came. But so did the second chance. Now, under new coach Mark Hager, Craig has earned his way back into a 22-man squad that will face India in Antwerp before traveling to London and Berlin. “It’s fantastic to have the experience of Blake, Tom and Lachie back in our side for this tour,“ Hager said. “Blake with his goalscoring capabilities, combined with Tom, who brings speed to our front line, and Lachie’s versatility through the middle.“
How Tom Craig has fared in his hockey career?
Tom Craig’s hockey career? It’s been nothing short of busy and stellar. He first popped up on the national radar back in 2014, just 19 then, making his senior debut against India and heading straight to the Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar. But long before that, he’d already impressed as a part of the junior team, the Burras, helping them win the Junior Oceania Cup and later finishing fourth at the 2016 Junior World Cup in Lucknow.
Since then? Well, he hasn’t exactly been on the sidelines. Craig became a regular name on the Kookaburras team sheet, turning out for Australia in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where they clinched gold. Later that year, he scored four goals at the Hockey World Cup, including a hat-trick in the bronze medal match against England.
The very next year, he played a key role in Australia’s win in the inaugural FIH Pro League, and then came Tokyo 2020, where the Kookaburras went all the way to the final. They didn’t grab gold, but silver at the Olympics? That’s still pretty big. On the club front, Craig didn’t just hang around in Australia. In 2019, he played for the NSW Pride, helping them win the Hockey One League. After Tokyo, he went to the Netherlands to play in the Hoofdklasse for Klein Zwitserland, and in 2024, joined the Kalinga Lancers in the revived Hockey India League.
So, medals from Oceania Cups, Champions Trophy, Commonwealth Games, Pro League, and Olympic silver. No shortage of major tournaments. Been to India, Europe, and back. So what can we make of that career? A lot of hockey, a lot of goals.
The post Banned for Buying D—– at Olympics, Hockey Star’s Apology Unearthed Amidst Return: “Embarrassed You All” appeared first on EssentiallySports.