Hockeyroos coach David Bell's job is safe despite delivering Australia's worst result at a women's hockey World Cup since 1986.

Hockey Australia chief executive Linden Adamson on Monday endorsed Bell's regime and was confident the Australian women's hockey team would improve on its fourth placing at the World Cup in time for the 2004 Olympics.

He said Bell would be talking to Alyson Annan this week about the former world player of the year's international future.

"We have enormous confidence in his (Bell's) ability to improve our result in time for Athens," Adamson said.

"He is not the person who is mistrapping the ball or making skill errors."

However Adamson admitted Australia's failure to gain a medal at the recently completed World Cup in Perth was disappointing.

"We had enough opportunities in both the semi-final and bronze medal to suggest we have got something," he said.

Former Australian captain Rechelle Hawkes, who did radio commentary during the 16-nation event, said the Hockeyroos lacked consistency and badly missed the strikepower of Annan.

The 29-year-old is living in the Netherlands and under current policy is ineligible for Australian selection.

But Hawkes said it was not all doom and gloom and the Hockeyroos still had plenty of time to prepare a side which could defend the Olympic title in Athens.

"I think if they can get Alyson Annan back and have a couple of players like Susie Harris come along quickly in the next couple of years they will be fine," she said.

Hawkes said the newly-crowned World Cup champion Argentina was the outstanding team in world hockey at the moment but Australia was not far behind runners-up the Netherlands.

"The Dutch team are probably just a bit better at penalty corners at the moment," she said.

Meanwhile former Hockeyroos coach Ric Charlesworth said Australia's failed World Cup defence could turn into a timely wake up call ahead of the Games in Greece.

"Australia finished fourth which they deserved on their performance. Had Australia got to the final it would have papered over the cracks, it is a good reminder," he said.

Charlesworth said Australia's midfield problems could be easily turned around if it had all of its talent available.

He reckoned it would be the envy of the world if they were able to recall the likes of Brooke Morrison, Kristen Towers and Annan to the team.

Charlesworth hoped Annan would play again for Australia.

"It is a tragedy for her that she is not playing for Australia," he said.

But perhaps. as Bell said after Australia's bronze medal playoff loss to China, it was time for people to recognise the depth of world hockey.

"It has been a home tournament and I think hockey people have realised that world hockey has a lot of good hockey teams," he said.

"Where previously I think they thought there was just Australia and just the rest of the world."

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