HOCKEY - Back in blue - Rowsell's rushed return

By hook or by crook, Jan Rowsell will be playing for Northland's national hockey league team this year, but her return into Cambridge Blue has not been an easy one.
The 23-year-old had been promised a release by North Harbour to play for Northland but a phone call to Rowsell by the Harbour union on Friday threw her into disarray.
"They called me and told me that they weren't going to release me after all, and that if I wanted to play for Northland, I'd have to play the 10 (club) games up there."
The problem was that there were only 10 rounds scheduled before the start of the national competition, which meant a flurry of phone calls on Friday so the Northland association could get the transfer papers lodged and completed before 5pm.
"It was all pretty stressful but Northland Hockey helped me out heaps by doing work behind the scenes," she said.
At this stage Rowsell is still awaiting an official reason for Harbour Hockey's about-face but she said she was struggling to come up with a reason of any merit.
Rowsell has been based in Auckland for the past three seasons and has turned out in the NHL for both Auckland and North Harbour in that time. Now the midfielder's return to play for Northland seems assured after she took the field for Maungakaramea in the premier league match against Whangarei Girls High School on Saturday.
"Basically since I've left, I've always wanted to play for Northland again, it's never quite the same when you pull on a shirt that's not the Northland blue," she said.
"I've had an unlucky run of injuries in my career over the last two years and I've also been over playing for a season in Holland and I felt it was about time I got back in touch with my roots and to be close to family and friends," she said.
The thought of playing again for Northland with many of her former age group teammates like Laura Douglas, Anna Thorpe and Nikki Attwood as well as her sister Rhonda is satisfying enough.
Another trip to Holland is planned after the NHL finishes.
She will accompany boyfriend and Black Stick Phil Burrows, who is a contracted player in the Dutch league.
The international experience can't harm Rowsell's chances of breaking back into the Black Sticks in the next few years.
"Obviously (form in) the national league is used for selection but also knowing (NZ coach) Kevin Towns, he's unlikely to change his team much over the coming year as they lead into the Olympics but I'm quite happy to keep working on my hockey and perhaps look at it again the following year," she said.
She hopes to regain her top game with Northland after struggling with injuries in recent years.
The news that Rowsell is available for Northland is good news for coach Paul Snelling.
"It's great for us and it's also good for the family - now they only have to go and support one team ...and I can't really understand why it's been so hard for Harbour to release her, I mean they've got four of our players from last season with Stacey and Carli Michelsen, Nicki Howes and Alana Millington."
Snelling will announce Northland's 20-strong training squad on Sunday, ahead of a warm-up match against Auckland on July 29.