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Hayden Shaw of the Black Sticks strikes the ball - Source: Photosport -
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The possible absence of penalty corner specialist Hayden Shaw from the World Cup qualifier beginning in Invercargill on Saturday holds no fears for Black Sticks coach Shane McLeod.
Shaw, who suffered a bout of pneumonia recently, has been bracketed with fellow Cantabrian Nick Haig, although McLeod is still hopeful the 145-Test veteran will still be a starter for the week-long tournament.
"It's a little bit up in the air but things are looking more and more positive each day," McLeod said.
"It's just a matter of how we can use him, and weighing up the pros and cons of that. We just have to be careful and make sure we do it right."
McLeod said Shaw's bout of pneumonia coupled with asthma had "knocked him around quite a bit".
But should Shaw be unable to feature, McLeod has no doubts his team-mates will step up to fill the gap.
"I think the confidence the guys have with him is something you'd like, but it's not a reliance.
"These days, it's more a case of doing things a little differently than having that reliance on one person - we've moved past that."
McLeod singled out midfielders Andrew Hayward and Richard Petherick as two he expected to step up should Shaw's role over the next week be limited.
"The other players that could take over his role have been working really hard and they see it as a good opportunity.
"Andy and Richard have been flicking well on corners, and that's one of Hayden's huge assets. They're not quite at the stage Hayden is, but they're certainly making progress and I'd expect our corners to be efficient whether Hayden is on or not."
The Black Sticks must win the qualifier if they want a berth at the World Cup in New Delhi, India, next February.
New Zealand go into the Invercargill tournament as the top team with a world ranking of eight, but will be wary of 13th-ranked China, who drew 2-2 with the Black Sticks to dash their hopes at last year's Beijing Olympics.
Also contesting the qualifying tournament are Malaysia (16th), Austria (20th), Scotland (24th) and Wales (29th).
McLeod named an 18-strong squad earlier in the week, with Otago 18-year-old Hugo Inglis the only new cap.
Inglis, who was the National Hockey League top goal scorer while playing for Midlands this year, has impressed with his natural talents in front of goal.
McLeod has opted for five strikers in his mix - joining Inglis are North Harbour's Priyesh Bhana, 216-Test veteran Phil Burrows, Simon Child and Nick Wilson.
The strategy has come at the expense of experienced defender James Nation, who has 105 caps.
Of the six competing teams, only New Zealand and Malaysia have ever played in a World Cup. New Zealand have played in six World Cups since 1971, with seventh their best finish. Malaysia have competed six times and their best placing was fourth.
The Black Sticks begin their tournament this weekend with games against Wales and Scotland.
