Five Junior Black Sticks are among the top 18 players selected by National Coach Mark Hager to take on Australia for the Oceania Cup next month.
Katie Glynn, Ella Gunson, Lucy Talbot (Auckland); Gemma Flynn (Midlands) and Stacey Michelsen (North Harbour), have all been named in the dynamic, attacking young side, after performing well during the recent home series against Argentina and China.
The Black Sticks side is built around a core of experienced players including defenders Beth Jurgeleit, (goalkeeper), Emily Naylor, Kate Saunders, Kate Mahon; midfielders Kayla Sharland and Stacey Carr and strikers Krystal Forgesson and Charlotte Harrison.
Hager believes his attack compares well with the best teams in the world. Defensively however, there is work to be done after conceding 23 goals in five matches during the recent series. Putting the record into perspective however, Argentina, who the Black Sticks played three times, then went on to win the Champions Trophy in Australia last week.
ÔÇ£We definitely need to tighten our defence or Australia will hurt us,ÔÇØ says Hager, who has just returned from observing the Champions Trophy, where Australia lost in the final to Argentina, on strokes.
ÔÇ£Australia is a cohesive young group and very solid defensively,ÔÇØ he says. ÔÇ£The team only conceded three goals during the tournament showing they are very strong in defence.ÔÇØ Australia is expected to move from fifth in the world to third, as a result of their second placing. Hager is looking forward to gaining a further guide as to where his team stands against another world class side. It will also be the first time he has put out his top current best 18 players, after rotating his full squad of 25 during the Argentina and China series.
ÔÇ£This is a good opportunity for the 18 to prove themselves and to see how they perform under the pressure of qualifying for a World Cup,ÔÇØ Hager says.
The winner of the Oceania Cup will gain direct entry to the 2010 BDO World Cup being hosted by Argentina. The losing team will have to qualify through a longer route which will depend on results from other qualifying matches.
The Cup will be played in Invercargill at the Turnbull Thomson Hockey Stadium from 25- 29 August. It will be contested by New Zealand, Australia and Samoa. New Zealand is the current Cup holder.
Before that, the five Junior Black Sticks will play in the 2009 Junior World Cup from 3 - 16 August in Boston, USA.
Team New Zealand: Kayla Sharland, Emily Naylor, Krystal Forgesson, Kate Saunders, Katie Glynn, Stacey Carr, Ella Gunson, Beth Jurgeleit, Clarissa Eshuis, Lucy Talbot, Stacey Brannigan, Gemma Flynn, Anna Thorpe, Kate Mahon, Charlotte Harrison, Bianca Russell, Stacey Michelsen, Anita Punt.
Source: Hockey New Zealand
