The Black Sticks Men's and Women's squads have been confirmed for the FIH Nations Cup in Poland and Spain.
Taking place in Gniezno, Poland from May 31 May-June 9 (men) and Terrassa, Spain from June 3-9 (women), the Nations Cup is the perfect opportunity for the Black Sticks Men (BSM) to continue their Olympic preparation and for the Black Sticks Women (BSW) to build upon their strong performances against Japan as they look to the future.
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The BSM head to Poland fresh off the back of a successful Sultan Azlan Shah Cup campaign in Malaysia, where they finished third despite battling illness within the team and missing key players.
Injuries are still impacting the current selection, with Sam Lane, Simon Yorston and Charlie Morrison unavailable due to injury, a large contingent of European based players return from club duty, as well as Simon Child lining up for a return.
Star player Kane Russell is looking forward to linking back up with the national side once the German Bundesliga wraps up. His team Hamburger Polo is currently in the semifinals, with Russell the lead scorer for the side.
“It’s been a great season here in Germany but my eyes are now firmly turned towards Paris and helping get the team in the best place possible to be competitive at the Olympics.
“We’ve got a great mix of youth and experience but everyone is contributing at a high level and we’re heading to Poland with every intention of winning the tournament.”
The BSW continue their focus on the future with all players available for selection. Building on a strong test series against Japan one debutant has been retained in a still relatively young squad, while veteran players like Megan Hull, Liz Thompson, and Sam Child return to the group.
Hull said the upcoming Nations Cup is the perfect opportunity to respond to the disappointment of missing out on Olympic Qualification and she is excited about this next phase.
“It’s always an honour to pull on the black singlet especially with this group of girls.
“The future is bright and we’re setting out to prove that we are a top level team that can go toe-to-toe with the world’s best.”
The BSW face Japan, Chile and Canada in pool play, with Ireland, Italy, South Korea and Spain competing in the other pool. The BSM are in Pool A up against Austria, South Korea, Poland and South Africa, with Canada, France, Malaysia and Pakistan in pool B. The top-two teams in each pool advance to the semifinals.
The BSM open up their tournament against Poland on June 1 at 5am NZT, the BSW start off June 3 against Chile at 8.30pm NZT.
BLACK STICKS MEN SQUAD
Dom Dixon, Leon Hayward, Blair Tarrant, Dane Lett, Kane Russell, Scott Cosslett, Brad Read, Nic Woods, Joe Morrison, Malachi Buschl, Hayden Phillips, Isaac Houlbrooke, Sean Findlay, Aidan Sarikaya, Sam Hiha, Simon Child, Hugo Inglis, Jake Smith, Scott Boyde, Jonty Elmes
BLACK STICKS WOMEN SQUAD
Brooke Roberts, Kirsty Nation, Megan Hull, Steph Dickins, Frances Davies, Liz Thompson, Kaitlin Cotter, Casey Crowley, Sam Child, Katie Doar, Hannah Gravenall, Emma Rainey, Emma Findlay, Rose Tynan, Olivia Shannon, Jessie Anderson, Anna Willocks, Hannah Cotter
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