KEY POINTS:
Injuries to two key players have put a dampener on the women's Black Sticks' Olympic preparations.
Captain Lizzy Igasan picked up a dose of the flu, then had a major tooth problem which have restricted her game time in the leadup to New Zealand's opening Olympic match against Japan on Sunday.
The problems flared in Hong Kong while the squad were preparing for the Games tournament.
And hard-hitting attacker Kayla Sharland has picked up a small hamstring tear during the practice game against Britain in Hong Kong last Monday.
Hamstring strains and Sharland are well acquainted.
"I reckon I tore it seven times after I first made the team," she said.
Coach Kevin Towns has fingers crossed Sharland and Igasan are both ready to play Japan. The Blacks Sticks have a final hitout against South Africa on Wednesday. He wants them involved in that game as well.
"We need to see that they're right," Towns said.
"It's unusual to have two of our top players in this situation, but we've learnt to cope with these things."
Part of Towns' concern is that both figure in the Black Sticks' penalty corner routines.
"What it means is we haven't been able to get through the finer work on our penalty corners," he added.
The injuries meant Towns was restricted to just 13 outfield players in the leadup programme, as two of his 16 are goalkeepers. He would have liked to have two extra players in Hong Kong to help carry the workload.
The men's Black Sticks brought an extra two for the preparation phase but Towns did not know that until after he'd left New Zealand, leaving him slightly miffed.
"It's meant the players in the games have had an extra load, which is not ideal," he added.
So he's had to rejig their practice regime to allow for that.
Throw in the murky air and it has meant plenty of planning to get the buildup right to have the side ready for the Japanese match.
"The air's not as bad as it was in June. It's not great, it's not ideal but the girls have been able to cope with it."
