Hockey: Trophy warm up for Olympics, say Black Sticks

Charlotte Harrison (left), Samantha Harrison and Anita Punt. Photo / AP

The New Zealand women's hockey team would love to replicate the bronze medal they won at last year's tournament when the Champions Trophy begins in Argentina next week, but they don't want to do anything that compromises their buildup to the London Olympics.

The Black Sticks surprised everyone with their third-placed finish at last year's Champions Trophy in Amsterdam and will have forced other countries to take them more seriously.

It will make their task of securing a top-three finish in Rosario more difficult but their real focus is on London in July and August.

Coach Mark Hager has a plan that will see some players rested for certain matches at the Champions Trophy and others played to help them get valuable experience at the top level.

It has come at a perfect time, even though it's in the middle of the New Zealand off-season and other teams are more battle-hardened, because it will give them a chance to see where they are compared with their opposition.

"We are not yet 100 per cent but we are looking at the bigger picture," Hager said. "This is part of building up to London but we are keen to do well here and carry the momentum through from the last Champions Trophy. It will be a good gauge against the top teams in this tournament.

"We would like to emulate last year's medal, if possible, but know it's going to be a difficult task with teams watching us very closely now and with a point to prove after what happened last year.

"This will be an interesting one because we haven't really had expectations on us before. We have flown under the radar but this tournament will tell us. It's going to tell us whether we are tracking in the right direction again or opposition teams identify our weaknesses and exploit it. If we do well, it's a matter of making sure we don't become complacent and still work hard."

The team haven't played a test since October's Oceania Cup but had two blocks of two weeks' training in December and January. They will compete in a Four Nations tournament starting in Cordoba tomorrow also involving Argentina (ranked No 2), Great Britain (4) and Korea (8) to help them get match fit. They will also meet Argentina and Korea in the Champions Trophy, along with the third-ranked Germans in a difficult pool. Quarter-finals will be played, which differs from the men's Champions Trophy played at North Harbour late last year when only the top four teams progressed, meaning it's still possible to do well even if they lose all three pool games.

The Black Sticks have retained most of last year's squad, although Ella Gunson is injured and Anna Thorpe yesterday announced her retirement from international hockey along with fringe player Jan Burrows because she wasn't able to commit to the Olympic programme. The squad go into camp at the end of March and train virtually fulltime ahead of London.

COMING UP
Four Nations (Cordoba)

* Thursday (2pm NZT) - NZ vs Argentina
* Friday (11.30am) - NZ vs Korea
* Sunday (9am) - NZ vs Great Britain
* Monday (9am) - 3rd and 4th playoff
* Monday (11.30am) - Final

Champions Trophy

* Jan 29 (12pm) NZ vs Argentina
* Jan 30 (9.30am) - NZ vs Korea
* Feb 1 (9.30am) - NZ vs Germany
* Feb 3-6 - Playoffs.