Hockey: Gloom lifts as hockey stars rejoin top flight

It has been an outstanding year for New Zealand hockey.

Anyone daring to suggest after last year's Beijing Olympics that the men's and women's Black Sticks would, in 2010, play their respective World Cups, Champions Trophy tournaments and the Commonwealth Games would have been pointed to the nearest shrink.

In the hotbed of international hockey there are no free rides. Tickets to the big tournaments have to be won.

The women have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround under new coach Mark Hager.

From the awful showing at last year's Olympics, where they struggled to score a goal and lost every game, Hager is preparing to head back to the big stages where he once, in the green and gold of Australia, was a fixture.

Still in no hurry to heap praise on his players and always calling for better, Hager has instilled confidence in the 24 players he has used this year.

They started with home series against Argentina and China and lost five-from-five. That was hardly what Hager was looking for heading into August's Oceania Cup in Invercargill, which dangled the carrot of direct World Cup entry.

Their losing streak continued, going down 2-1 to Australia before they had a breakthrough win - the 17-0 romp over hapless Samoa.

It came down to the winner-take-all final. Seventy minutes ended 2-2. Two periods of extra time failed to break the deadlock. The dreaded penalty shootout did, with the Black Sticks claiming a 4-3 win and their ticket to next year's World Cup in Rosario, Argentina, from August 30 to September 12.

The team then went to South Africa for the Champions Challenge, a five-team playoff with the winners handed a place in next year's six-team (the world's best) Champions Trophy. After wins over Spain and Italy, a draw with the hosts and a loss to Japan, New Zealand upset South Africa 2-1 in the final. The fairytale lived on.

Their world ranking, now up to nine, also ensured their place at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games.

"It has been a giddy year," Hager admitted. "We have done it with a group of 24 players with another six in our development squad. There has been a bit of mix and match in what we have done, with some players dropping out and others being recalled."

While coaches at times have been loathe to include genuine utility players in their squads, Hager sees this, under the new auto pass rule which has sped up the game dramatically, as the way of the future.

"We are now looking for players who can play anywhere. You need to have flexibility in your selections and not pigeon-hole players. Our most flexible player at the moment is Kayla Sharland but others, including Emily Naylor, Krystal Forgesson and Stacey Michelsen, are now showing out in three positions."

Hager singles out Gemma Flynn, named this week in the 2009 World All Stars, Naylor and Sharland as his standout players, with Ella Gunson and Katie Glynn making the biggest improvement.

The men had an even busier year with 35 internationals starting at January's Punjab Gold Cup in India, where they finished third (of four) behind Holland and India.

After losing two and drawing two in a home series against India, coach Shane McLeod in April took his team to the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia where, after two wins and three draws, they finished third.

They then won three and drew two in a five-test home series with Malaysia as preparation for the Oceania Cup, where they beat Samoa 19-0 but lost 5-2 (pool) and 2-1 (final) to Australia, who claimed automatic World Cup entry.

Left to go through the always-tense qualifying route, but at least with home advantage, McLeod and his Black Sticks returned to Invercargill where they won six-from-six, including 2-1 over Malaysia in the final to claim their spot in the 12-team World Cup.

They then headed to Salta, Argentina, this month for the Champions Challenge, hoping to follow the women in claiming a place in the 2010 Champions Trophy.

Without stalwarts Hayden and Brad Shaw and after losing key defender Blair Hopping to a broken hand in the opening 2-2 draw with India, they won through to the final.

In a tense affair in which Simon Child, yesterday named in the World All Stars, won a crucial penalty corner and set up captain Phil Burrows for a vital goal, New Zealand beat top-ranked Pakistan 4-2 to win through.

"That was the highlight of the year," said McLeod. "It was such a good way to finish what has been a great year for hockey."

New chief executive Hilary Poole is not claiming any kudos for the success, but there is no doubt the new broom and subtle changes within the organisation have been rewarded.