KEY POINTS:
Black Sticks coach Shane McLeod has suddenly found himself flavour of the month with many of the world's top hockey nations keen to square-off with his Olympic-bound team.
Within hours of his team's thrilling win over Argentina in the sudden-death final on Sunday, McLeod's inbox was spilling over with congratulatory messages from his Australian, Dutch and Spanish counterparts - all with offers to play his team.
"The reaction has been amazing," said McLeod from his Stanmore Bay home yesterday. For a sport which lives for so much of the time in anonymity, he was stunned by the number of people who stopped him to offer congratulations and say how enthralled they had been with the dramatic 3-2 Olympic Qualifying Tournament triumph.
"Things would have been very different for New Zealand hockey if we hadn't won," said McLeod. "This victory has set a tremendous platform from which we can really kick on." By winning through to Beijing, the Black Sticks have a realistic chance of clawing their way into the top six. That opens up many possibilities, including a spot in next year's Champions Trophy and beyond that the 2010 World Cup - in the same year as the New Delhi Commonwealth Games.
With vital world ranking points at stake in Beijing, New Zealand can climb significantly higher than their current 10th.
Of the teams above them in the rankings, India (9th) and Great Britain (8th) are closest. As they are in the same Olympic qualifying tournament in Chile next month, one (or perhaps both) will not be in Beijing. Seventh-ranked Argentina have already missed out and will therefore not earn any points.
The Indians, in danger of missing a place in an Olympic tournament for the first time, have already sounded McLeod out as they look for games en route to Chile.
"If that happens I will have to have a look at things. The players are now on a break for four weeks but that would change if we were asked to play tests - probably three - against India. We should know that by the end of the week."
McLeod will be without captain Ryan Archibald, Simon Child, Shea McAleese and Phil Burrows who are set to return to club hockey in Europe in a few days. But they will be required to join the national side for the May 3-11 Azlan Shah tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia, which McLeod now rates as a vital part of their Olympic preparation.
The invitation to the Malaysian tournament was received last Wednesday but kept from the players until after Sunday's win.
McLeod says while much has quickly fallen into place, he still has the hardest task of all - sorting out his 16-strong Olympic squad and then telling the players who have missed out, "thank-you, but no thank-you".
And that, he admits, is the worst part of his job.
