OCEANIA JUNIOR WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS - PROMISING PERFORMANCES
The Oceania Junior World Cup Qualifiers wrapped up at Lloyd Elsmore Park in Auckland earlier this month, with New Zealand’s U21 Men’s and Women’s teams putting on a strong performance against Australia. Across three matches each, both teams demonstrated fight, deservedly earning their spot in the Junior World Cup later this year.
The U21 Men’s team delivered one of their strongest performances against Australia ever, proving they could match—and beat—their rivals in a series that came down to the absolute wire.
Men’s Head Coach Mike Delaney said, “The 2025 Oceania Cup provided our group with an excellent opportunity to gauge our development against a top tier nation. We exposed 7 new debutants to international hockey and 3 new coaches. We’re really excited and proud of the style of hockey the lads produced. Whilst the final result of losing the series on a shootout is hard to swallow it’s also great to see us on a positive trajectory”.
The Men's results were as follows:
NZ 4 - AUS 3
NZ 0 - AUS 1 (A penalty stroke in the final minute was all that separated the two teams)
NZ 2 - AUS 2 (With the final whistle moving teams into a shootout, Australia won 3-2 to claim the Oceania title)
Their standout performance has set the stage for a highly competitive Junior World Cup in India later this year, and we can expect this team to be a serious contender.
The Women's team revealed their potential, particularly during their final match, with a hard-fought comeback finishing strong with a 2-2 draw.
Head Coach Verity Sharland commented, "We were really proud of the players' efforts during the series. There's still plenty of opportunity to take our performance to the next level, and we'll be working hard to do so in the coming months as players train in their respective regions."
Their results were as follows:
NZ 1 - AUS 3
NZ 2 - AUS 4
NZ 2 - AUS 2
While the overall result didn’t fall in their favour, the team now has a clear focus on refining their game ahead of the FIH Women’s Junior World Cup in Chile later this year.
Australia may have claimed the Oceania titles at this year's Qualifiers, but New Zealand’s U21 squads have signalled they are ready to compete at the highest level. The countdown to the Junior World Cup is on for December.