Northland defender Alana Millington has been sacrificed by New Zealand women's hockey team coach Kevin Towns so he can recall Wellington striker Niniwa Roberts to the team preparing for September's Oceania Cup in Australia.
The 31-year-old Roberts, who has 111 caps, last played for the national team last April in the
World Cup qualifying tournament in Rome. She returns after giving birth to daughter, Isabella, seven months ago.
Roberts replaces Millington, who played in the Champions Challenge in Azerbaijan in June. The Black Sticks struggled during the tournament, winning just one of their five group games, and Millington, as the newest member of the squad, was the obvious choice to make place for Roberts.
That means Whangarei Girls' High School player Charlotte Harrison is now the only remaining Northlander in the Black Sticks.
Towns said he included Roberts, a specialist striker, to try to improve the flow between midfield and attack.
"Niniwa is a very experienced striker who could offer balance and the ability to link with the midfield, an element missing at Champions Challenge," Towns said. "Her game may well blend nicely with the younger players. She will give our midfield a target on the field, for other strikers to play off her."
The team will also be strengthened by playmaker Kayla Sharland's return to full fitness from a knee injury which curtailed her role in the Australian earlier and the Champions Challenge.
"I am still learning about the players and believe long-term consistency and building a core is important," Towns said.
In preparation for the Oceania Olympics qualifying series against Australia from September 11-16 at Buderim on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, New Zealand depart for Hong Kong on August 21 for three matches. They will play against Korea on August 28, China on August 29 and India on August 31.
The team: Krystal Forgesson, Kim Noakes, Frances Kreft, Honor Dillon, Jo Galletly, Meredith Orr, Kate Saunders, Emily Naylor, Caryn Paewai, Anita Wawatai, Kayla Sharland, Charlotte Harrison, Kimberly Green, Lizzy Igasan, Jaimee Claxton, Kate Mahon, Beth Jurgeleit, Niniwa Roberts.NZPA
