Hockey: Olympic qualifier just got tougher

New Zealand women's hockey coach Jan Borren is not impressed that his Australian counterpart, Ric Charlesworth, has selected the strongest possible squad for next week's Oceania Cup test in Dunedin.

With the exception of the Champions Trophy in June, Charlesworth has this year been using tournaments to develop players, but has changed tack for the September 8 test against New Zealand.

Australia have called up Olympic gold medallists Shelley Andrews, Renita Garard and Lisa Carruthers and fellow senior players Katie Allen, Alison Peek, Justine Sowry and Karen Smith.

Charlesworth has made eight changes to the youthful and inexperienced squad who had mixed results on their recent tour to Europe.

The Oceania Cup will be contested over three tests, with the second and third games in Australia. Should New Zealand win the series they will qualify for the Sydney Olympics.

If not, they will need to gain entry through an Olympic qualifying series in England in March.

"He [Charlesworth] has not done us any favours," Borren said. "When I saw Australia play in England recently I thought they were beatable, but with the team he has picked it is going to be extremely tough for us to qualify through the Oceania Cup.

"In some ways I can understand him picking his strongest team. They lost to England and Holland and he probably wants to re-establish Australia as the best team in the world."

Australia, Holland (European Nations Cup winners), Argentina (winners of a Pan-American tournament) and Korea (Asian Games winners) have already qualified for the Olympics.

South Africa should qualify through Africa with unfancied Zimbabwe the only team standing between them and an Olympic berth.

Should New Zealand have to go to the qualifying tournament, they will be up against teams such as Britain, the United States, India and China. - NZPA