HOCKEY - Challenging matches offer Northland chance to shine

Both Northland's men's and women's teams begin their National Hockey League campaigns today as underdogs, against sides expected to feature in the finals of the tournament next weekend.
Northland women are the first up at Lloyd Elsmore Park in Pakuranga at 1pm, today, playing a Central side literally dripping with Black Sticks.
Central, with five current Black Sticks - more than any other region at the tournament - are out for redemption this year after finishing outside the top four for the first time last season.
The experienced side will be a handful for Northland, who have themselves gone through major personnel changes to field a much younger but still talented team, since qualifying second for the semifinals last season.
Jasmin McQuinn, who has undergone a full recovery from the knee ligament injury that kept her from attending the Beijing Olympics with the Black Sticks, said Central is one of her picks of the teams to watch at the tournament.
"Central have the majority of the Black Sticks in their team, so I'm guessing they'll be very strong. Wellington is always a strong competitor and Canterbury have a young side, but I think they'll be strong and hopefully we'll be up with them somewhere," she said.
A good start against Central before games against Canterbury tomorrow, and Midlands on Sunday, will give the young Northland side a big confidence boost.
"We've got a lot of talent coming through, like Jacinda Mcleod and Anna Weir, so although we were a bit shaky to start with, we've come together well and played some good hockey in our pre-season games, so don't write us off yet," she said.
In their pre-season quadrangular tournament two weeks ago, Northland drew 1-1 against Midlands, beat Auckland 1-0 and lost 3-2 to North Harbour, so if the Grant McLeod-coached team start well, they will be a force to be reckoned with at the tournament next week.
The Northland men know that they will have to play smart hockey against 2007 champions North Harbour just to compete, after two heavy pre-season losses against them.
The two sides have clashed twice in the lead-up to the tournament, with Harbour winning the first 4-1 and the second 3-0. The men's side is still struggling to find their rhythm, with coach Pat Barry searching for the right blend between the imported players and the Northland-based players on the turf.
While pre-season form can be a useful indicator of a team's ability, upsets - even big ones - happen at tournaments and that's what Northland will be aiming for today. Barry has already indicated that he will employ a more defensive formation than used pre-season, in an effort to frustrate Harbour.
The main concern could be containing the scoring ability of junior Black Stick, Joseph Bartholomew, at penalty corner time, with the drag-flicker scoring three in their most recent match.
Northland play a strong Wellington team tomorrow and face what could be a significant match on Sunday against Central, who on paper at least, will be one of the weaker teams at tournament, with the game regarded as a must-win match by Northland.