Hockey: Huge call on goalkeepers for Games

Piki Hamahona is among those to miss the cut. Photo / Greg Bowker

Commonwealth Games-bound coaches Shane McLeod and Mark Hager have taken a huge gamble in naming their 16-player squads for New Delhi.

In a surprise move, both the men's and women's teams named yesterday include only one goalkeeper. With no provision for back-up support, McLeod and Hager will be hoping Kyle Pontifex and Beth Jurgeleit get through the intense schedule unscathed.

Hager said it had been a hard call, especially for his back-up goalkeeper Bianca Russell, who will be in the 18-strong squad who leave for the World Cup in Argentina next Friday but will be left behind when her team-mates head to the Commonwealth Games.

Striker Piki Hamahona faces the same disappointment.

Of his call to go with just one goalkeeper, Hager said it was becoming the trend more and more these days, especially when squads are restricted to 16 players.

"When you go to an FIH tournament like the World Cup or Champions Trophy teams take two keepers but more often than not the second goalkeeper is not involved when squads are trimmed to 16 on match day," said Hager. "We felt that given the likely conditions in India we need the extra outfield player.

"Rotation is going to be key in the heat and we felt we needed the fifth field player on the bench."

Hager conceded there was an element of risk in not taking goalkeeping cover. "Unlike the Olympics where you can have two players living out of the village but on call as cover in case of injury, that is not the case here."

Hager said he had not given any thought to grooming an outfield player who could step in if the need arises.

"It could be we would just go with 11 field players if we had to."

Men's captain Phil Burrows said he thought Shea McAleese was the likely replacement in their team if Pontifex went down. "Hopefully it won't come to that but Shea has said he would do it if he had to," said Burrows who will overtake Ryan Archibald as New Zealand's most experienced international at the Games.

Archibald, who topped 250 caps at this month's Champions Trophy in Germany, has made himself unavailable for New Delhi, confirming a call he made in talking to the Herald last week when he said he wanted to spend more time on life outside hockey and his working future. He has not retired and still has the 2012 London Olympics in his sights.

Blair Hopping, another of the small group of Black Sticks to have played more than 200 internationals, has made the same call. He will miss the Commonwealth Games for "work and personal reasons" but will be available for the Olympics if selected.

Simon Child, who opted out of the World Cup in New Delhi earlier in the year amid security concerns, has been selected and confirmed his availability.

Archibald, Hopping and back-up goalkeeper Stephen Graham are the three players from the Champions Trophy team missing from the Games team. Young Wellington striker Stephen Jenness, who made his debut with three games in the four-nations tournament preceding the Champions Trophy, has been called in.

He, fellow Wellingtonians Blair Hilton (32 caps) and Blair Tarrant (15), along with Midlands striker Hugo Inglis (33), are the only players in the men's squad with less than 50 caps.

It is a different story in the women's squad with co-captains Kayla Sharland (106) and Emily Naylor (133) and Canterbury midfielder Stacey Carr (115) the only players with more than 100 caps. They will be joined by Krystal Forgesson (98) and probably Jurgeleit (94) after the World Cup. Eight have less than 50. Eight of the men have more than 100.

* Olympian Marina Erakovic has been selected as a member of the first team to represent New Zealand in tennis at the Commonwealth Games.

Erakovic, who has a world doubles ranking of 114th, was named yesterday with her doubles partner Ellen Barry.

The men's combination of Davis Cup representatives Rubin Statham and Marcus Daniell was also named.

* Experienced table tennis player Karen Li heads a strong team of four New Zealanders to the New Delhi Games.

It will be Li's third Commonwealth Games, after she was a medallist in both doubles and teams events at Manchester in 2002. With Li's sister and four-time Olympian Li Chunli as coach, New Zealand is a contender for a medal in the teams event.

GAMES LINE-UPS

HOCKEY SQUAD - MEN
* Goalkeeper: Kyle Pontifex (Wellington).
* Defenders: Dean Couzins (Auckland), Nick Haig (Canterbury), Nick Hayward (Midlands), Brad Shaw (Canterbury), Hayden Shaw Canterbury), Blair Tarrant (Wellington).
* Midfielders: Steve Edwards (North Harbour), Blair Hilton (Wellington), Shea McAleese (Central), Arun Panchia (Auckland).
* Strikers: Phil Burrows (Wellington) captain, Simon Child (Auckland), Hugo Inglis (Midlands), Stephen Jenness (Wellington), Nick Wilson (North Harbour).

HOCKEY SQUAD - WOMEN
* Goalkeeper: Beth Jurgeleit (Wellington).
* Defenders: Clarissa Eshuis (Midlands), Natasha Fitzsimmons (North Harbour), Emily Naylor (Central) co-captain, Lucy Talbot (Auckland).
* Midfielders: Stacey Carr (Canterbury), Gemma Flynn (Midlands), Ella Gunson (Northland), Sam Harrison (Auckland), Stacey Michelsen (North Harbour), Anita Punt (Wellington), Kayla Sharland (Central) co-captain, Anna Thorpe (Northland).
* Strikers: Krystal Forgesson (Auckland), Katie Glynn (Auckland), Charlotte Harrison (Northland).

TABLE TENNIS TEAM
Karen Li, Sun Yang, Jenny Huang, Annie Yang.

TENNIS TEAM
Marina Erakovic, Ellen Barry, Rubin Statham, Marcus Daniell.