HOCKEY - Defender hoping injury doesn't get in way of selection

Northland's "bionic" woman, Jasmin McQuinn, is hoping to close an injury-prone chapter in her fledgling career by relaunching her international career this week.
McQuinn acquired the bionic nickname from teammates after undergoing her second ACL ligament reconstruction last year, albeit on different knees, at the tender age of 18.
She is one of six current or former Northland players hoping to survive the cut as the Black Sticks training squad is reduced from 31 to 24 players at trials this week in Auckland at Lloyd Elsmore Park.
The injury to her left knee this past February, sustained while warming up for her third test in her first international series against Korea, came at a huge cost and saw her miss out on the Beijing Olympics.
But even though the hard-nosed defender is fully recovered from her injury, the disappointment still lingers in her psyche.
"At this stage, I'm fully fit and recovered from my injury and that's a plus but I don't want to jinx myself," she said.
"I definitely think about it when I play but you've got to make sure it's in the back of your head if you want to be really any good."
McQuinn worked hard in the gym to recover from her operation and was rewarded with an all clear to join the NZ under-21 squad, that played a series in Australia in December.
"It wasn't really until we went to Australia with the Junior Black Sticks that I felt fully comfortable with playing again ... it takes a lot of time to get your confidence back again after an injury like that."
She survived another injury scare earlier this year - again on her left knee - but bounced back quickly to join the successful Northern U21 team that won the national title in Whangarei, earlier this month.
"I've had a fitness programme to follow and been doing gym sessions twice a week and training just about every day recently, so I'm as ready as I can be."
This week will provide the ultimate test of her recovery.
"This week is going to be pretty hard, there are around 35 players hoping to get into the team but, at this stage, no one's really too sure what's going to happen. At the end of the week, I'm hoping I'll get selected but there's a whole host of good defenders trying to get in so it's not going to be easy."
A few players who were in the squad have pulled out of contention, which is likely to give the side a fairly new-look when it is named later in the week.
"The younger players who have been playing in the NHL and have just missed out in the past because of the older players, are now getting their shot, which is pretty cool," McQuinn said.
Anna Thorpe, Charlotte Harrison, Stacey Michelsen, Alana Millington and Ella Gunson are also seeking selection.
The players underwent fitness testing yesterday and play a series of matches this week.