Hockey: Glynn makes the 'hardest' decision to retire

Katie Glynn's 77 career goals make her New Zealand's second-highest female goal-scorer. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand women's hockey striker Katie Glynn has retired from the international game as she's succumbed to injuries.

The 26-year-old says it's the hardest decision she has ever had to make, but knows it's the right call as the Black Sticks schedule intensifies ahead of next year's Rio Olympics.

Debuting in 2009, Glynn scored 77 goals throughout her career, making her New Zealand's second-highest female goal scorer of all time.

Having struggled with knee and back injuries in the last two years, Glynn and coach Mark Hager were hopeful she would be back playing internationals next year.

She had been named in the national squad following the 2015 National Hockey League and was hopeful of making the extended Olympics squad which is due to be named at the end of the year.

"As much as I've been trying to push through and hope things would improve, I'm still really restricted and it has become incredibly hard for me to keep training as I would like," said Glynn. "It's been a really hard couple of years, I've found it both mentally and physically exhausting.

"I was really grateful for the opportunity to be selected in the national squad but I have had to be realistic and, as much as I don't want to stop, I know deep down that it's the right thing to do."

Hager says Glynn was an outstanding player who will be missed both on and off the field.

"She is one of the players that helped create the team that it is now," Hager said. "She drove the culture, was a top goal scorer, was match hardened, always won the 50/50 contest and loved ... the tough games."

Glynn played in all the major global hockey events, including the 2014 World Cup, 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, 2012 London Olympics, 2010 World Cup and 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

Although no longer in the black shirt, Glynn hopes she will be back playing for her Roskill-Eden Hockey Club and at the 2016 National Hockey League and she's also interested in coaching at regional and national level - she's a fulltime sports manager at Auckland's Diocesan School and coach of their first XI. "I'm really passionate about coaching and, now that I'm not playing, I have the time to put towards it," said Glynn.