Des Abbott made his debut for the Australian men’s hockey team in 2007 and was the first Indigenous player to represent Australia at the Olympic Games in men's field hockey.

He was a member of the team when it won the Hockey Champions trophy in 2008, 2009 and 2010; the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2010 World Cup; and bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he became the team's joint leading scorer of the tournament.

In addition to playing in the domestic league, he also played professional hockey in the Netherlands.

In 2013, after 111 appearances for the Kookaburras, Abbott announced his retirement.

This interview by Aaron Pedersen with Des Abbott is from Who We Are in Sport (2012), courtesy of Bearcage Productions.