By TERRY MADDAFORD
There has been no panic by the New Zealand hockey selectors despite finishing sixth of the seven teams at last month's Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Kuala Lumpur.
The 17 players named for the Olympic qualifying tournament in Osaka from March 9 to 20 include just one change.
Darren Smith,
who was rushed to Kuala Lumpur in place of the injured Andrew Hastie, has held his place as has Hastie, whose selection is subject to a final fitness test before the team leave on Monday.
Aucklander Dion Gosling is the only player who went to Malaysia not to be included in the team going to Japan.
"It was a hard call to leave Dion out," coach Robin Wilson said. "But we can take only 17 players. Sure, we were disappointed with the results in KL but not in their performance.
"A lack of concentration at key times and a couple of indiscretions cost us. Clearly, we were better than Canada and Germany and should have beaten India. But that's the way international sport goes.
"We realise we have to tighten our defence and that's something we will be working on between now and the games in Japan."
New Zealand must finish in the top half of the 12-team tournament to win a place at Sydney 2000.
There is a chance another team could qualify from the tournament as the South African Olympic Committee has refused to select a men's team despite their winning the African group.
"We are not counting on that," Wilson said. "We have our sights set firmly on the top six and that's where they will stay."
New Zealand: Scott Anderson (captain), Paul Woolford, Brett Leaver, Craig Russ, Simon Towns, Ryan Archibald, Greg Russ, Bevan Hari (Auckland), Andrew Timlin, Andrew Hastie, Craig Reynolds (Canterbury), Wayne McIndoe, Mitesh Patel, Umesh Parag, Phillip Burrows (Wellington), Darren Smith (North Harbour), Hymie Gill (Otago).
