Hockey: Oceania Cup side also have sights on Argentina finals

Liz Thompson is adept in a range of defensive roles. Photo / Christine Cornege

Those named for the Oceania Cup hockey tournament have the inside running for places at December's World League finals in Argentina.

And for the three uncapped players in the squad of 18, Canterbury striker Sophie Cocks, Midlands defender Brooke Neal and Auckland defender Liz Thompson, that provides a hefty incentive to grab their chances at this week's camp in Hamilton and when the Oceania Cup starts in Stratford next Wednesday.

"When you get good performances you like to reward them," Black Sticks coach Mark Hager said.

Cocks is a pacy attacker, Neal was, in Hager's words, "the rock" at the heart of New Zealand's defence at the junior World Cup in Germany in mid-year, while Thompson is adept in a range of defensive roles.

Thompson was one of the players who went to the junior World Cup to win selection in the senior squad. That trip was a significant learning experience for the 19-year-old Auckland University commerce student. More of that lies ahead.

"I've never played at that level before so I'm looking forward to learning heaps at training and getting that experience of playing at that level which will be pretty cool," she said.

Three of the Black Sticks squad named a few weeks ago will be missing from the World League finals. Senior striker Katie Glynn and classy midfielder Stacey Michelsen are getting over knee injuries while seasoned defender Emily Naylor will miss the trip because of a wedding.

Of Hager's wider group of 26, only five will miss out on merit because of those three defections. The squad hasn't been together since the World League 3 tournament in the Netherlands in June. New Zealand will face Australia, Samoa and Papua New Guinea in the Oceania Cup.

The squad

New Zealand women's squad for the Oceania Cup, starting in Stratford next Wednesday:
Krystal Forgesson, Julia King, Liz Thompson (Auckland), Bridget Blackwood, Sophie Cocks, Pippa Hayward (Canterbury), Rhiannon Dennison, Bianca Russell, Petrea Webster (North Harbour), Sam Charlton, Gemma Flynn, Rose Keddell, Brooke Neal, Sally Rutherford (Midlands), Emily Naylor, Kayla Sharland (Central), Anita Punt, Aniwaka Roberts (Capital).