Black Sticks goal-scoring machine Hayden Shaw may have been the star of the team's first-up win of the Olympic hockey tournament, but he has let slip they have a secret weapon.
As the team prepared for their second pool game - a tough assignment against Spain at 12.30amNZT - Shaw revealed assistant coach Greg Nichol was a vital factor behind his penalty-corner purple patch on Monday night.
Nichol, from Hawkes Bay, has a particular skill for studying opposition goalkeepers and has been giving Shaw tips to help him thwart attempts to save his rocket-powered drag-flicks.
"We've got footage from the last five years on corners and the way goalkeepers play," said Shaw.
That background knowledge, plus 15-20 penalty corner moves, has Shaw brimming with confidence.
His hat-trick against Korea got his team home 3-1 after a sluggish first half, but the team know they will need a smarter start against Spain.
The Spaniards, runners-up at this year's Champions Trophy, beat Belgium 4-2 on Monday night with two of its stars, Pol Amat and Santiago Freixa, among the goal-scorers.
New Zealand's manager, Kevin Marr, said the side knew they needed a better start but he was happy with the way they were able to finish.
"We're trying to run over the top of sides athletically in the last quarter of an hour."
Fitness-wise, the team will go into the Spanish game with a few minor problems.
Striker Simon Child, recovering from a broken finger, played his first match back against Korea and reported that he felt fine.
Defender Blair Hopping, meanwhile, took a blow from a Korean stick and finished the game with stitches.
"To be honest, he is not feeling so good today," said Marr.
"It's his birthday today - he usually has a sore head the day after his birthday."
