Hockey: Start of a new era for Black Sticks

New Black Sticks coach Mark Hager. Photo / Dean Purcell

Ten months after the disappointment of a winless Olympic campaign, the new-look New Zealand women's hockey team are ready to hit the playing field again.

With a new coach, Australian Mark Hager, and with nine players from Beijing now retired, the Black Sticks are ready to start a new era.

This week's three-test series against India provides a perfect opportunity to kick-start the team's campaign to secure a spot in the 2010 World Cup.

The series begins in Christchurch tomorrow, then moves to Nelson for two games on Saturday and Sunday, and Hager said he was looking forward to seeing just what his team had to offer.

"This is just the start for us, the start of a new era with the new blood within the group. We're really looking forward to playing some games after five months of training," he said.

Hager's team includes a blend of 10 players with international experience and eight who have yet to play a senior international match.

"You get the youth and the exuberance, but we've still got some experience within the group so hopefully we can gel those together and perform well," he said.

The Indian series was to have been over four tests, but the first match - scheduled for today - has been called off after difficulties with India's travel arrangements.

Hager, assistant coach with the Australian men's team that won bronze at the Beijing Olympics, said the tests against India provided the ideal opportunity for his team to build towards the Oceania Cup in August. A victory over Australia there would secure the Black Sticks a spot in the 2010 World Cup.

"It's perfect for us to start putting our structures and concepts into place," Hager said. "We want to sort out our playing structures - how we want to do our attacking, our penalty corners, our set plays, our defensive structures.

"We'll be trying to attack as much as we can to create as many goal scoring opportunities as we can."

Hager said the Indians were something of an unknown quality.

"But they'll be quite quick and skilful - that's their style of hockey, so I think that'll be a good test for our girls, and particularly our defensive units, to see how we can cope."

With the World Cup qualifier New Zealand's No 1 aim, Hager said he was keen to put as many of his squad as possible through their paces.

"This series gives us a chance to look at 18 of our squad, and in the next series against Argentina and China we'll be utilising the whole 25.

"It's a selection process looking towards the Oceania Cup ... we could play our best 18 in every game, but we don't feel we'd get the quality of depth we'd need."

- NZPA