Hockey: Different strokes for different blokes

By TERRY MADDAFORD

New Zealand hockey coaches Kevin Towns and Ian Rutledge are taking opposite tacks in selecting their teams for upcoming Champions Trophy tournaments.

While Towns, the men's coach, will take almost all the players in the squad who finished sixth at the Athens Olympics to Pakistan in December, Rutledge, the women's coach, will use next month's tournament in Argentina to herald a new era.

Rutledge is taking a hard-nosed Australian approach.

The players who hinted they were contemplating retirement after the Olympics - and before the Black Sticks booked their place in the Champions Trophy - will not be in the 18-player squad when the names are read out next week.

Rutledge is unrepentant.

"The players who were going to retire can't expect to change their mind," he said. "We will be naming a new national squad of 25 players after this weekend's NHL finals. The 18 players for Argentina will come from that."

Missing from the 16 players who were in Athens will be goalkeeper Helen Clarke, captain Suzie Muirhead (who is unavailable for the Champions Trophy), Leisen Jobe (retired from international hockey) and Lisa Walton (taking a break after the NHL).

Rutledge may also be without star defender Lizzy Igasan, who seriously injured her knee playing for North Harbour on Saturday.

Given that, as many as seven new names could be on the list he and co-selector Chris Leslie come up with.

"We have to look to the future," said Rutledge. "We are only interested in taking players to Argentina who will be available for at least the next two years through to the Commonwealth Games and 2006 World Cup."

Towns, on the other hand, is keen to take as many of his Olympians to Pakistan as he can.

He was aware that Dion Gosling, Wayne McIndoe, Darren Smith, Umesh Parag and Simon Towns were all contemplating retirement post-Athens.

Now, all but Parag are set to be named in the 18-strong squad for the Champions Trophy.

Parag, New Zealand's most experienced international, is not due back from the Olympics - and his honeymoon - until Friday, which will almost certainly rule him out of playing in this weekend's NHL finals.

"He has to play to be considered," said Towns. But Ryan Archibald, who missed the Olympics through injury and is still regarded as marginal for the weekend, is a "different case" and likely to be considered.

"I want to have the strongest possible team in Pakistan," said Towns.

"Some might see it as a trip for the boys but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and they deserve to be part of it."

Simon Towns, Phil Burrows, Dean Couzins and James Nation will not be playing here this weekend but have ensured their inclusion for Pakistan by playing overseas since the Olympics.

Towns will name a new 14-man national squad and 11 developmental players after the weekend.