Joining the Police gave Ella Gunson a new focus after the Tokyo Olympics were postponed - a focus that allows her to honour her late mother. Eager to play at a second Olympics, the straight-shooting Northlander is in no doubt this team has what it takes to do well in Tokyo. Ella Gunson is Built for Greatness.

After the highs of making his debut and scoring for his country in a victory against Australia, a serious knee injury meant Sam Lane was sidelined for nearly two years missing the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The proud South Canterbury lad also recently lost his mother. He believes the adversity he’s faced has given him a strong mindset to succeed. Sam Lane is Built for Greatness.

Dane Lett played rugby and hockey through most of his schooling before focusing on making the Vantage Black Sticks. But it wasn’t until he’d started a family and secured a fulltime job – both of which gave him a fresh perspective – that his Black Sticks career took off. Dane Lett is Built for Greatness.

Growing up in a small Bay of Plenty town, Frances Davies never imagined she’d become a Vantage Black Stick and still didn’t believe it when she got the email telling her she’d made it. The criminology graduate loves working with children and talks passionately about her work with Pillars and Cure Kids. Frances Davies is Built for Greatness.

Tessa Jopp is back in the Vantage Black Sticks after her dreams were dashed on the eve of the 2018 Commonwealth Games by a previously undiagnosed heart condition. The Otago midfielder returned to her first love – farming in the Maniototo in Central Otago – but when Graham Shaw called she knew she couldn’t turn down a chance to make the Olympic squad. Tessa Jopp is Built for Greatness.