Hockey: Shaw's radiator the big concern after opening loss

1.00pm - By MARK GEENTY

ATHENS - New Zealand hockey team management will literally be keeping their star Hayden Shaw on ice as they seek at least a draw against the Netherlands on Wednesday (5am NZT) to keep their Olympic medal hopes intact.

New Zealand's campaign got off to a flat start today with a 1-4 loss to a slick Australia team who put the issue beyond doubt soon after halftime when they raced to a 3-0 lead.

Aside from a sluggish midfield effort without the injured Ryan Archibald and a lack of chances created in front of goal, the big concern was the state of Shaw, who overheated and missed the final quarter.

Ironically, New Zealand's only goal came from Shaw's favourite situation, the penalty corner, just after he departed the pitch.

David Kosoof stepped up and drilled a shot towards goal, which Darren Smith expertly deflected in.

Coach Kevin Towns said there was no concern about Shaw's availability for Wednesday's clash with the Sydney 2000 gold medallists, but Shaw would have to be managed better, with more regular substitutions and ice jackets in the dugout.

Towns admitted they were caught out by the intense heat despite an 8.30am start today.

"One or two players struggled a bit. Hayden certainly struggled, he was out on his feet a bit so we'll have to readdress the rotations we use with him," Towns said.

"He'll be fine, I'm not concerned at all. These guys bounce back, he's probably lost 5-6kg so we'll just have to run him for shorter periods of time."

Australia, ranked third in the world behind Germany and the Netherlands, looked a class above New Zealand, ranked 11th but with an upset 2-1 win over Germany last week under their belts.

Striker Jamie Dwyer scored the first of his hat-trick in the 24th minute, when he robbed defender Dion Gosling and rifled in a magnificent backhand shot from the edge of the area, giving goalkeeper Paul Woolford no chance.

From 2-0 at the break, Australia all but sealed the win soon after when Elder backhanded a cross to a diving Dwyer, which left New Zealand standing.

Towns though, who was unimpressed with his side's sometimes aimless passing, was not pushing the panic button yet, with pool matches against Argentina, India and South Africa to follow.

Playing in the cooler evening conditions, Towns said a draw with the Dutch would be enough to keep them in the frame for a medal.

"They're a huge hockey nation and there'll be a lot of orange in the crowd. It'll be absolutely packed, I understand there's no seats left.

"They've got some wonderful hockey players and they run their midfield similar to Australia, and we're going to have to hang on again, not concede penalty corners and be a little more composed on the day.

"If we get a point, things are still possible."

Meanwhile, the New Zealand women open their Games hockey campaign against China at 3am tomorrow (NZT).

- NZPA