KEY POINTS:
This week's focus is very much on getting the New Zealand men's hockey team across the line in their Olympic qualifying bid but, at the same time, and at the same ground, the women's Black Sticks are deep into their Beijing build-up.
Handed their ticket to travel after beating Australia last year to claim the direct Oceania entry spot, the women play the second of a five-test series with Korea at Crown Relocations Stadium this afternoon and follow that with matches on Monday and Tuesday at Lloyd Elsmore Park and the finale at Pukekohe on Thursday.
"By the time they get to Beijing, the players, who have been centralised here since January 14, will have had 126 planned training sessions and played 43 matches of which 22 will be internationals. Ten will be on New Zealand soil," said national women's coach Kevin Towns.
It will be a full-on build-up with the pressure on as Towns must reduce his 19-player squad to 16 for Beijing.
"Injuries could yet dictate that but that will in no way lessen the expectations and the need for them to all work very hard."
The main injury concerns are with goalkeeper Anita Wawatai and Kayla Sharland who had an MRI scan on quad injury earlier this week. Towns said a third goalkeeping option, following a recent clinic in the South Island, is being explored as cover.
Following the series against World No 9 Korea - New Zealand are ranked seventh - they will play a total of five matches in Wellington against China and Ireland from February 23-March 1.
"We are then off to Beijing on March 7 for five tests which will hopefully be played at the Olympic Stadium," said Towns. "On our return, the players will stay in Auckland ... to continue their training ...
"Incorporated in that break will be two nine-day full-on sessions in late April and late May and a number of games against under-18 [mainly North Harbour] representative boy's teams."
They are then scheduled to go to a yet to be confirmed six-nation tournament in Hong Kong in late June.
"There are some issues still to be resolved," said Towns. "It had been hoped we would be joined up there by Australia, Korea, Japan, India and the United States but we have since learned Japan don't have the funds. It maybe we end up going instead to Cairns to play Australia in the heat."
By July 19, the women will be in Hong Kong to round-off their preparations.
"We will set up camp there and leave for Beijing around July 31 to go into the village and be ready for the August 8 opening ceremony."
Towns is determined there will be no repeat of the 1992 experience when the New Zealand women played their hearts out to win through to Barcelona but hardly fired a shot once there.
"There were players who felt they had achieved their goal by winning through to the Olympics rather than seeing playing well there as their ultimate goal," said Towns. "That message has already been delivered. At this level, it is as much a mental thing as physical."
While the final composition of the 12-team Olympic tournament will not be known until after qualifying tournaments in March and April, Towns seems confident the Black Sticks will be in the same pool as Argentina (ranked No 2), Germany (3), Japan (6), England (10) and either the US (11) or India (13). The other pool could be Netherlands (1), Australia (4), China (5), Korea (9), South (Africa (12) and either Spain (8) or Azerbaijan (15).
* BLACK STICKS
Series against Korea
Today: Crown Relocations Stadium, North Harbour 1.45pm live TV One
Monday: Lloyd Elsmore 6.30pm
Tuesday: Lloyd Elsmore 6.30pm
Thursday: Pukekohe 6.30pm
