Hockey: Loyal fans praying for Sticks to go all way

Black Stick Simon Child (left) tussles with his Spanish opponent during Spain's 3-2 win. Photo / Steven McNicholl

The Black Sticks have happily taken the crowd with them on their roller coaster ride through this week's Champions Trophy tournament, producing a couple of stunning results along the way.

While they have won plenty of fans in assuring themselves of a top-four finish, they really need to be on the dais tomorrow to earn the big tick and celebrate a first medal at a tournament of this standing since the 1976 Olympic gold.

The results, while encouraging, need to be taken in context.

At last year's six-team Champions Trophy in Monchengladbach, New Zealand finished sixth. They won only one match - 3-1 over the Netherlands. In other round-robin matches they were hammered 9-1 by eventual winners Australia, lost 5-2 to Germany and 4-3 to Great Britain and drew 4-4 with Spain to whom they later lost 3-2 in the play-off.

Shane McLeod and his players can point to progress here with their battling 2-1 first-up loss to Germany as an obvious improvement. The thrilling 3-3 draw with the Dutch was, despite the excitement and significance, not a win. They then went down by that same 3-2 margin to the Spanish.

The saving grace was the 6-1 win over Korea in pool play which got them through to the top four on goal difference over Germany.

No one would suggest that what New Zealand have shown this week, and particularly in the comeback from 0-3 to tie it up 3-3 with the Netherlands, has not been a step up but there remains the feeling at times it is a work in progress.

Too much turnover ball and a conversion rate which belies their efforts in getting the ball into the opposition circle must be frustrating for McLeod and the coaching staff. And the players.

No team has been consistently clinical - with the exception of the Kookaburras who continue to show the ability to step up when needed - which has allowed the Black Sticks to be in with a fighting chance.

But, as McLeod has said, turning the odd-goal losses - to Germany and Spain - into draws or wins is the difference between being a top six, or in this case top four, team and being a winner.

There will be no charity from Ric Charlesworth and his Australian players this afternoon.

It has to be a concern for Dean Couzins and the team he leads, that their games against Australia from the start of the last Champions Trophy to the end of the Oceania Cup in the lead-up to this tournament, have been bookended by 9-1 and 6-1 losses.

McLeod, rightly, points out that since that shocker in the opening round of last year's Champions Trophy and before the Oceania loss in Hobart, the Black Sticks lost to Australia at the Commonwealth Games and the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia but bounced back to square the series in Hobart with a 3-0 first-up win and 3-3 draw before the last day loss.

"We are closing the gap for sure," said McLeod. "But they are not the best team in the world without a reason. We always have to be looking to bridge that gap."

By the time they run out at North Harbour Stadium in today's late game, the New Zealanders will know whether they are still a chance to reach the final. If Spain beat Germany in the earlier game those hopes will be gone. If the Dutch win 2-0 and New Zealand then beat Australia by the same score, New Zealand would go through. A draw between the Spanish and the Dutch would also dash local hopes.

SCHEDULE

Today (points in brackets)

* Pool C: Netherlands (1) v Spain (3) 4.05pm; Australia (6) v New Zealand (1) 6.05pm
* Pool D: Germany (4) v Pakistan (3) 12.05pm; Great Britain (3) v Korea (1) 2.05pm

Tomorrow
* 7th-8th: 3rd pool D v 4th pool D 10.35am
* 5th-6th: 1st pool D v 2nd pool D 1.05pm
* Bronze match: 3rd pool C v 4th pool C 3.35pm
* Final: 1st pool C v 2nd pool C 6.05pm.