Child, Edwards, McAleese back for Oceania Cup

Head coach Colin Batch has named his team to take on world champions Australia as well as Samoa and Papua New Guinea at the Oceania Cup in Taranaki at the end of this month.

Simon Child and Steve Edwards return after a break from the team along with Shea McAleese who has recovered from injury. North Harbour players James Coughlan and Joe Bartholomew are also new additions since World League Three.

“We are all really looking forward to getting the competition underway, we are confident to play Australia and are looking forward to the challenge, it will be testing for us, but sets the scene for a big year of hockey in 2014,” said Batch.“To have Simon, Steve [Edwards] and Shea back in the team is great. They are Olympians and bring a level of experience to the team that gives us that good balance.”

The Black Sticks Men come together next week for a National Squad camp at the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health Centre on the North Shore before travelling down to Stratford ahead of their first game which is against Papua New Guinea.

“With the whole squad together next week we will have some more tactical based trainings - with two squad games scheduled as well. This camp is really the start of our 2014 World Cup campaign and throughout the week we will set in place a number of things that we want to achieve over the next twelve months,” said Batch.

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Black Sticks Men – Oceania Cup
TET MultiSports Centre, Stratford, Taranaki
30 Oct-3 Nov

*Shirt*	*Name*	*Age*	*Caps*
29	Hugo INGLIS	22	107
27	Stephen JENNESS	23	87
6	Simon CHILD	25	179
1	James COUGHLAN	23	20
14	Jared PANCHIA	19	18
25	Shea MCALEESE	29	181
31	Steven EDWARDS	27	155
24	Arun PANCHIA	24	110
18	Phil BURROWS	33	303
13	Marcus CHILD	22	40
8	Dean COUZINS	32	286
4	Nick HAIG	26	119
22	Blair TARRANT	23	81
2	Cory BENNETT	22	18
3	Joseph BARTHOLOMEW	25	16
19	Alex SHAW	23	27
16	Hamish MCGREGOR	25	19
20	Devon MANCHESTER	23	15