Hockey: Black Sticks squad named for Oceania Cup

Anita Punt. Photo / Paul Taylor.

New Zealand have named a squad of 18 players for the Oceania Cup tournament, in Stratford starting on October 21.

The squad includes returning players, Stacey Michelsen, Jordan Grant, Ella Gunson, goalkeeper Sally Rutherford and national league MVP Brooke Neal, who were absent from the recent series against world No 3 Argentina.

Those missing include in-form attacker Gemma Flynn, for personal reasons, and most capped Black Stick Emily Naylor, who is out through injury while midfielder Kayla Whitelock, who is returning to international hockey, is not ready to play at top level yet.

Auckland striker Charlotte Harrison and North Harbour defender Kat Henry have both secured places based on their recent form.

"This is a critical tournament for us. We need to perform well and make sure we achieve our targets and secure world ranking points," coach Mark Hager said.

"It's a great opportunity for us to view players on the international stage in preparation for the world league final, which is just two months away."

World No 4 New Zealand will face second-ranked Australia and Samoa. New Zealand and Australia have already qualified for the Rio Olympics so it's a good opportunity for top class matchplay between the close rivals.

New Zealand women's team for the Oceania Cup: Anita Punt (c, Capital), Amelia Gibson, Charlotte Harrison, Julie King, Liz Thompson (Auckland), Sam Charlton, Rose Keddell, Sally Rutherford (Midlands), Jordan Grant, Pippa Hayward, Sophie Cocks, Olivia Merry (Canterbury), Ella Gunson, Stacey Michelsen, Brooke Neal (Northland), Petrea Webster, Kat Henry, Kirsten Pearce (North Harbour).

The men's Black Sticks are due to be named tomorrow. They must beat Australia to qualify for Rio.