KEY POINTS:
Five people have thrown their hats in the ring to be New Zealand's men's hockey coach but with an international series against the Netherlands fast approaching, former coach Kevin Towns has been asked to head up the selection panel.
Towns stepped aside in October after six years with the men's side to take up the equivalent position with the women's Black Sticks.
After an unsuccessful attempt to fill the men's role last year, Hockey New Zealand (HNZ) appointed assistant coach Shane McLeod as caretaker for this month's series against the Netherlands.
HNZ chief executive Ramesh Patel today told NZPA of three applicants who had made a shortlist for the position at the end of last year, two were still being considered, and there had been three fresh applicants, taking the total to five.
McLeod had not put in an application.
Patel hoped to make an appointment within the next couple of weeks but in the interim, Towns had been asked to act as selection convenor in a one-off measure while McLeod held the team reins.
"Kevin's happy to do that -- we've said just do that job from afar as a selector. That way at least there's some sort of continuity and consistency and we can carry on with the Dutch series."
He said the five applicants were "mainly overseas" and HNZ was comfortable with having a foreign coach for the Black Sticks men as they attempted to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
"You always would like to have homegrown product but we also realise that we want to get the best we can at this stage.
"Some of the homegrown product are probably not quite there just right now. That's not to say they wouldn't be in a couple of years."
Of the three initial applicants, the one now not being considered had pulled out for personal reasons.
Star defender and drag flick exponent Hayden Shaw has expressed frustration at the new coach not being in place for the Netherlands series.
Patel could well understand Shaw's feelings and had spoken to players including captain Ryan Archibald.
"It's gone on for too long now," he said.
"If I was a player I'd be thinking exactly the same."
- NZPA
