Hockey: Champions Trophy teams put bad times behind them

New Zealand's top players have a second-to-none opportunity to put the disappointment of last year's men's Champions Trophy tournament behind them under an ambitious programme planned for the next 15 months.

The women, who also finished sixth at their Champions Trophy, have a different attitude in planning to build from the tournament they used as a launching pad through to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Generally, the players felt they let themselves down at Champions Trophy after what they had done at the Olympics," national men's coach Kevin Towns said yesterday.

But Towns is not expecting wholesale changes from retirements or players being axed.

"It is something we will handle properly. It [being dropped] won't be a bolt out of the blue. I'm expecting maybe two or three retirements in the next 12 months or so."

The national side will play four tests against Malaysia at northern venues from March 20 to March 31.

In early April the country's top goalkeepers (men and women) will attend a goalkeeping course conducted by three-time Australian Olympian Damon Diletti - now Australia's goalkeeping coach.

A team to play in the May 26-June 5 Sultan Azlan Shah Tournament in Malaysia will be named in May.

"I then hope to go to Europe in mid-August to play six internationals against teams preparing for September's European Championships," Towns said. "There is a chance we will be invited back to Malaysia for the 2006 Azlan Shah which is being played in January.

"That would be ideal preparation for our scheduled Oceania World Cup qualifiers against Australia in February and the Commonwealth Games in March.

"Immediately after the Games in Melbourne we have to go to a World Cup qualifier unless we have beaten Australia to claim a place at a yet-to-be-determined venue to try to win a place at the 2006 World Cup in Germany in September.

"If we don't win a place at the World Cup our chances of making the Beijing Olympics would almost certainly be gone.

"Half a dozen national squad members including Bevan Hari, James Nation, Dean Couzins, Phil Burrows, Casey Henwood and Simon Towns are either overseas or planning to play offshore.

"I have always encouraged players to go overseas but they will again be expected to be back to play in the NHL."

The women have not had the same break as the men.

"The girls haven't stopped training," Black Sticks coach Ian Rutledge said.

They had a six-week programme to work on over summer and two training camps are planned for February and April. In May they are scheduled for a four-test series against the United States.

"We will then go to the Champions Challenge tournament in the States from July 6-16 aiming to win and claim a spot in the 2006 Champions Trophy."
New Zealand have accepted an invitation to play in a six-team tournament in India from October 1-9 which may mean the players will miss a couple of NHL rounds.