HOCKEY - Older, wiser Henwood sets sights on Beijing

WHEN he is asked, Casey Henwood still tells people he is from Whangarei.
He could take his pick when he replied though. Hamilton, Sydney, Holland, currently Albany, and - with any luck - a suitcase by the middle of the year on duty with the Black Sticks New Zealand men's hockey team.
But as a product of Whangarei Boys' High School and the highly regarded Northland hockey development programme, Henwood will be one of the star attractions when the Black Sticks play Chile tomorrow night in the first of three tests at Rosvall Stadium this week.
Henwood will appreciate the support, because his first appearance as an international at his old stomping grounds in Whangarei is significant for the midfielder for another reason.
He was dropped from the Black Sticks just before they went to the Athens Olympics in 2003, and he is aiming at wiping that memory away by winning selection to the Black Sticks for the Beijing Olympics in August.
It has been a long and eventful journey since then, which included a spell playing overseas, but he thinks he is back in the Black Sticks fold a different man, and a better player.
"It was fair to say I was looking for a different challenge, also to deal with a bit of disappointment about not going to the Olympics.
"I decided after three years away in total to come back and have a crack at it for Beijing. I think I learnt something about myself when I got dropped and decided to take some time overseas," Henwood said. "When I first made the side (in 2003) it was almost too intense and, in that kind of situation, you forget to enjoy yourself. I went away and, overseas, I was having a lot of fun and enjoying the competitiveness of it again. That was the biggest change, I learnt to love the game again," he said.
He might have changed but, when quizzed about the experience in 2003, Henwood still bristles.
Being part of the build-up to the Athens Olympics had been an exhilarating experience. But missing out on the final Olympic selection was a bitter pill to swallow.
So getting a second bite at the Olympic cherry is proving a strong motivating factor. There is a lot of work to be done by the entire Black Sticks team to achieve the Olympic dream though.
The test series against Chile starting tomorrow is the first step. A series with the Japanese follows, then the all-important Olympic qualifying tournament in Albany next month.
Only the winner of the Olympic Qualifier will qualify for Beijing. Teams competing at the Qualifier are Argentina (world ranking 7), France (16), Ireland (19), New Zealand (10), Trinidad & Tobago (23), and USA (27).
Then there is the selection minefield to navigate.
"There's still plenty of competition for spots. It's only the final 16 that gets to go to the Olympics and I am well aware of that from before Athens. There's 21 or 22 players now," Henwood said. "Unfortunately, one player from here gets dropped for the qualifier next month, and I'd imagine things will only get tighter from there in terms of selection."
Chile are not rated as a serious opponents but still arrive with some significant challenges for the Black Sticks. But the main goal is to start the fine-tuning exercise for the Olympic qualifying tournament. Tomorrow night's game starts at 6.30pm. There are two more tests against Chile, at 2.30pm on Saturday and Sunday.