In 2009, Charlesworth was appointed coach of the Australian men's national hockey team, the "Kookaburras". The team went on to win the 2009 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy in Melbourne, Australia; the 2010 Hockey World Cup in New Delhi, India; the 2010 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy in Mönchengladbach, Germany; the 2010 Commonwealth Games Men's Hockey Gold Medal in Delhi, India and the 2011 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy in Auckland. After coaching the Kookaburras to success at the 2014 Hockey World Cup in Netherlands, he resigned.