Head coach Darren Smith has named a strong squad with breadth of experience to face world ranked No. 1 Australia.
Blair Tarrant returns as captain for the New Zealand men. Other big names included in the squad are Stephen Jenness, Hugo Inglis and Kane Russel.
The Vantage Black Sticks men have just come off a strong Ready, Steady, Tokyo Olympic test series in Japan last week taking down Malaysia, Japan and world ranked No. 5 India in round robin play.
The Oceania Cup serves as an Olympic Qualifying tournament with the winner earning direct qualification to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
A best of 3 games format in both the women’s and men’s competition will determine which of the 2 Oceania hockey giants Australia or New Zealand qualify for Tokyo.
|
Player |
Position |
|
Arun Panchia |
Defender |
|
Blair Tarrant © |
Defender |
|
Cory Bennett |
Defender |
|
Dane Lett |
Defender |
|
George Enersen |
Goalkeeper |
|
George Muir |
Striker |
|
Hugo Inglis |
Midfielder/Striker |
|
Jacob Smith |
Midfielder/Striker |
|
Jared Panchia |
Striker |
|
Kane Russell |
Defender |
|
Marcus Child |
Midfielder |
|
Nic Woods |
Midfielder |
|
Nick Ross |
Midfielder |
|
Richard Joyce |
Goalkeeper |
|
Sam Lane |
Striker |
|
Shea McAleese |
Defender |
|
Hayden Phillips |
Midfielder/Striker |
|
Stephen Jenness |
Striker |
*Simon Child was not considered for selection as he continues his progress from injury
Oceania Cup Schedule
Thursday, September 5
Vantage Black Sticks Men vs Australia – 6:00 pm NZT
Vantage Black Sticks Women vs Australia – 8:00 pm NZT
Saturday, September 7
Vantage Black Sticks Women vs Australia – 6:00 pm NZT
Vantage Black Sticks Men vs Australia – 8:00 pm NZT
Sunday, September 8
Vantage Black Sticks Women vs Australia – 6:00 pm NZT
Vantage Black Sticks Men vs Australia – 8:15 pm NZT
The Oceania Hockey Federation has also announced that they will be livestreaming the games for free on their Facebook page.
