VANTAGE BLACK STICKS STARS SET TO SHINE AT NATIONS CUP
International hockey continues to come thick and fast with the departure of the Vantage Black Sticks Men and Women early next week for the FIH Nations Cup.
Taking place in Gniezno, Poland 31 May-9 June (Men) and Terrassa, Spain 3-9 June (Women) the Nations Cup is the perfect opportunity for the Black Sticks Men to continue their Olympic preparation and for the Women to build upon their strong performances against Japan as they look to the future.
The Men head to Poland fresh off the back of a successful Sultan Azlan Shah Cup campaign in Malaysia, where they finished third despite battling illness within the team and missing key players.
While injuries are still impacting the current selection, with Sam Lane; Simon Yorston; and Charlie Morrison all unavailable due to injury, a large contingent of European based players return from club duty as well as Simon Child lining up for a return.
Star player Kane Russell is looking forward to linking back up with the national side once the German Bundesliga wraps up - his team Hamburger Polo is currently in the semi-finals with Russell the lead scorer for the side.
“It’s been a great season here in Germany but my eyes are now firmly turned towards Paris and helping get the team in the best place possible to be competitive at the Olympics.
“We’ve got a great mix of youth and experience but everyone is contributing at a high level and we’re heading to Poland with every intention of winning the tournament.”
The Black Sticks Women continue their renewed focus on the future with all players available for selection. Building on a strong test series against Japan one debutant has been retained in a still relatively young squad, while veteran players like Megan Hull, Liz Thompson, and Sam Child return to the group.
Hull said the upcoming Nations Cup is the perfect opportunity to respond to the disappointment of missing out on Olympic Qualification and she is excited about this next phase.
“It’s always an honour to pull on the black singlet especially with this group of girls.
“The future is bright and we’re setting out to prove that we are a top level team that can go toe-to-toe with the world’s best.”
The Black Sticks Women will face Japan, Chile and Canada in pool play, with Ireland, Italy, Korea and Spain competing in the other pool. The Men are in Pool A up against Austria, Korea, Poland and South Africa, with Canada, France, Malaysia and Pakistan in pool B. The top two teams in each pool advance to the semi-finals.
The Men open up their tournament against Poland June 1 at 5am NZT, the Women start off June 3 against Chile at 8.30pm NZT.
Vantage Black Sticks Men
Dom Dixon, Leon Hayward, Blair Tarrant, Dane Lett, Kane Russell, Scott Cosslett, Brad Read, Nic Woods, Joe Morrison, Malachi Buschl, Hayden Phillips, Isaac Houlbrooke, Sean Findlay, Aidan Sarikaya, Sam Hiha, Simon Child, Hugo Inglis, Jake Smith, Scott Boyde, Jonty Elmes.
Vantage Black Sticks Women
Brooke Roberts, Kirsty Nation, Megan Hull, Steph Dickins, Frances Davies, Liz Thompson, Kaitlin Cotter, Casey Crowley, Sam Child, Katie Doar, Hannah Gravenall, Emma Rainey, Emma Findlay, Rose Tynan, Olivia Shannon, Jessie Anderson, Anna Willocks, Hannah Cotter.