The team to Delhi 2010 has been finalized today with the naming of both the mens and womens Black Sticks teams. The naming of the 32 players brings the team total to 193 athletes representing New Zealand in all 17 sports.
Both the Black Sticks Mens and Womens teams will be taking the maximum number of field players to the Commonwealth Games in October. With regulations stipulating only 16 players can be selected for a field hockey team, both New Zealands teams have chosen to bolster their squad with the maximum of 15 field players, and will take only one goalkeeper each.
New Zealand Olympic Committee secretary general and Commonwealth team selector Barry Maister is delighted to have finalized the team today and is expecting a push for medals from the two teams. With their solid international rankings and a huge amount of experience, were certainly expecting a very strong performance in Delhi.
For Maister, who retires from the NZOC at the end of this year, today was his last team selection announcement. Its appropriate that after 10 years of team selections, hockey is the last. Maister was a gold medal winning member of the New Zealand mens team to the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976.
Both Black Sticks Coaches, Shane McLeod and Mark Hager, commented it was a tough decision, but one they feel comfortable with given the hot conditions the teams will be playing in. The extra field player will assist us in maintaining a high level of intensity within games, which we know will be tested in the hot and humid conditions that the players are expected to compete in. It makes sense to take as many field players as we can to ensure we can play our best, day in, day out, against the competition, says Mark Hager, Black Sticks Womens Coach.
Our experience of playing in Delhi earlier this year certainly reinforces this, says Shane McLeod, Black Sticks Mens Coach. Our guys found they needed longer recovery time because of the heat and when we were also coping with Phil being injured, it certainly put a lot of pressure on the team. FIH run tournaments allow a squad of 18 to be named, and generally two goalkeepers are selected along with 16 field players.
Both teams feature players who only debuted for New Zealand this year, but who have quickly made their mark by their quality of play in their respective teams. The fresh, 20-year-old faces of defenders Natasha Fitzsimons (North Habour) and Blair Tarrant (Wellington) feature in each squad, along with 19-year-old striker Stephen Jenness (Wellington). Each Black Sticks team also features its most experienced line up available. Mark Hager has included his 100-plus cap players Kayla Sharland, Emily Naylor and Stacey Carr, along with goalkeeper Beth Jurgeleit (94) and Krystal Forgesson (98). While Shane McLeods line up also has his 200-plus cap players Phil Burrows and Dean Couzins along with 100-plus cap players Simon Child, Kyle Pontifex (goalkeeper), Hayden Shaw, Brad Shaw, Shea McAleese and Steve Edwards.
The noticeable exceptions from the team are Blair Hopping and Ryan Archibald, who are not available for personal reasons, along with Stephen Graham (goalkeeper). Hager has not included Bianca Russell (goalkeeper) and Piki Hamahona (striker) from his World Cup line up. The Black Sticks Women play Wales in the first hockey fixture of the event on Monday, October 4; while the Black Sticks Mens first outing is against Trinidad & Tobago on Tuesday, October 5. At 193 athletes, the Delhi Commonwealth Games team is the fifth largest ever with the largest being Melbourne 2006 at 249 athletes. (The other three are: Manchester 2002 - 200; Kuala Lumpur 1998 217 and Auckland 1990 224).
The teams are: Women:
1 Kayla Sharland Central 24 106 Midfielder 2 Emily Naylor Central 24 133 Defender 3 Krystal Forgesson Auckland 27 98 Striker 5 Katie Glynn Auckland 21 21 Striker 11 Stacey Carr Canterbury 26 115 Midfielder 12 Ella Gunson Northland 21 22 Midfielder 15 Beth Jurgeleit Wellington 30 94 Goalkeeper 16 Clarissa Eshuis Midlands 23 60 Defender 17 Lucy Talbot Auckland 21 27 Defender 20 Sam Harrison Auckland 18 24 Midfielder 22 Gemma Flynn Midlands 20 51 Midfielder 23 Anna Thorpe Northland 26 19 Midfielder 28 Charlotte Harrison Northland 21 88 Striker 31 Stacey Michelsen North Harbour 19 30 Midfielder 26 Natasha Fitzsimons North Harbour 21 20 Defender 32 Anita Punt Wellington 22 28 Midfielder
Womens Team Management Coach Mark Hager Assistant Coach Chris Leslie Assistant Coach Bryce Collins Manager Debbie Balme Physiotherapist Fiona OConnor Video Analyst Ian Hicks
Men
4 Nick Haig Canterbury 23 56 Defender 5 Andy Hayward Midlands 25 82 Defender 6 Simon Child Auckland 22 129 Striker 8 Dean Couzins Auckland 29 215 Defender 9 Blair Hilton Wellington 20 32 Midfielder 12 Brad Shaw Christchurch 27 110 Defender 17 Kyle Pontifex Wellington 30 111 Goalkeeper 18 Phil Burrows Wellington 30 246 Striker 19 Hayden Shaw Canterbury 29 165 Defender 22 Blair Tarrant Wellington 20 15 Defender 24 Arun Panchia Auckland 21 44 Midfielder 25 Shea McAleese Central 26 118 Midfielder 27 Stephen Jenness Wellington 20 3 Striker 29 Hugo Inglis Midlands 19 33 Striker 31 Steve Edwards North Harbour 24 109 Midfielder 32 Nick Wilson North Harbour 20 71 Striker
Team Management Coach Shane McLeod Assistant Coach Darren Smith Assistant Coach Sean Dancer Manager Kevin Marr Physiotherapist Gavin DSouza Video Analyst Ian Hicks
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