Hockey: Women primed for success

Emily Naylor. Photo / Brett Phibbs

They are doing it in threes - three months, three countries and three tournaments for the New Zealand women's hockey team.

In July, they contested the Champions Trophy in Nottingham, England. This week, they start their World Cup in Rosario, Argentina. And in just over a month, they will compete at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

It is a congested schedule but you are unlikely to find too many Black Sticks complaining. An investment of $650,000 into women's hockey this year from Sparc has been a lifeline for a team that suffered the ignominy of finishing last at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The team has found heart under new coach and former Australian international Mark Hager. They won last year's Champions Challenge to earn a place at this year's Champions Trophy where they finished fifth last month.

They beat China 4-3 in their playoff, equalling New Zealand's best Champions Trophy result, matching the efforts of 1999, 2001 and 2002. It also ended a 17-match winless streak at the event.

That raises hopes they might all be $15,000 richer if they finish in the top eight in Argentina.

The Commonwealth Games have been a tepid tournament for the Black Sticks to date.Whenhockeywas introduced in 1998, the New Zealand women picked up a bronze medal but have suffered fourth-placed finishes in the two events since.

Di Te Awa (nee Weavers) was part of all three campaigns and is now a selector. She says the young side, co-led by 24- year-old centurions Kayla Sharland and Emily Naylor, can change perceptions that New Zealand chokes.

"You've got that pair's experience and a number of resolute, strong, skilful girls who have been around a while but are still relatively young.

"I can assure you finishing fourth at those events was no fun," Te Awa says. "It was horrible. But bronze was great and I believe we can play for medals again."

Te Awa has a point. England has stepped up of late to be ranked sixth in the world but Australia has slipped. They are now rated fifth, their worst position for some years, and did not qualify for the Champions Trophy. New Zealand is ranked seventh but beat Australia on penalties a year ago to win the Oceania Cup.

Tempering that is the fact the Black Sticks lost three internationals to them in February. The two sides meet at the World Cup next Monday - another sound assessment of each side's chances in Delhi.

Te Awa says Hager has been a useful selection as coach because he can relate well to women. She says that is partly due to wife Michelle Capes-Hager, an Australian hockey gold medallist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

"She's probably quite a good support, helping him understand womenin sport.That can be a hurdle, even though it shouldn't be. Women are a lot more emotional.

"With a guy, you can yell at them, tell them whatever and they'll be grumpy, but 10 seconds later they are over it. Women can hold it in, get upset and drag it out for a couple of months. The emotions are harder to fathom.

"Mark's good atbeingstraight up and down, pushing the players hard but keeping them relaxed. You need that in such a tough year peaking at these different times."

Anna Lawrence captained New Zealand to its best medal chance at an Olympics when the team made it through the preliminary round with two wins, a draw and a loss at Sydney in 2000, only to slip to sixth overall in the medal pool round.

"They're every chance of being competitive at the Commonwealth Games," Lawrence says. "It's the perfect platform when you don't have to compete with the European teams or Argentina and China.

"I never went to Delhi during my career but when I think back to the bronze medal in 1998 at Kuala Lumpur, it was all about adjusting to the heat. It was incredibly humid, like constantly being in a hot, steamy bathroom. Fortunately we were on the cusp of ice vest technology to cool our core body temperatures. Boy, did we need it."

The Black Sticks open their Commonwealth Games campaign against Wales on October 4. Their World Cup starts Tuesday (New Zealand time) against Germany.