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Black Sticks Coach Mark Hager. - Source: Photosport -
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Women's Black Sticks coach Mark Hager is calling for focus on basic skills to get their Olympic campaign back on track.
Ahead of today's tricky Champions Trophy opener against the world's second-ranked side and hosts Argentina, Hager - who has transformed the national women's team from 12th in the world to bronze medallists at last year's tournament - says his squad have fallen behind on their Olympic schedule.
Losing all four matches at the Four Nations, this month's lead-in tournament to the prestigious Champions Trophy, they need to look at why they're struggling for possession and leaking goals, Hager says. And if they don't start now, living up to their medal expectation in London is going to become extremely difficult.
"The Four Nations was disappointing and I know all the players were frustrated that we started off so slowly. We're nowhere near where we need to be," Hager told Sunday News from Rosario, Argentina.
"We know there's a huge challenge ahead and we need to pick it up if we're going to be competitive. There's just way too many turnovers at the moment.
"We're not making good decisions on the ball, and we're miss-trapping or making bad passes. They're things we really need to improve."
This year's Champions Trophy, the last major event before the London Games, has been controversially reformatted by world hockey body the FIH.
Ironically, it's set to benefit the Black Sticks, buying them time in the search for form.
"We play three pool games and then quarterfinals. You can conceivably not win a game in the rounds and still make the quarterfinal," Hager said.
"I'd prefer it to be the old system because it rewards consistency."
There'll be no excuses for the Black Sticks. "We'll just worry about ourselves and get back to basics, that's the key," he said.
Black Sticks' schedule (all NZT):
Today, 12pm v Argentina. Tomorrow, 9.30am v Korea. Wednesday, 9.30am v Germany. Second-phase fixtures TBC.
