New Zealand’s Kayla Sharland optimistic for Champions Trophy: Hockey News
Kayla Sharland, New Zealand's field hockey striker, is quite optimistic to make an outstanding comeback into the upcoming Champions Trophy that is scheduled to start from June 25, 2011 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
She will serve as a co-captain of the Black Sticks women squad along with her team-mate, Emily Naylor, in the forthcoming Champions Trophy. In order to continue her rehabilitant process, she opted to take rest after the Commonwealth Games instead of Europe
tour.
Speaking to the media before leaving Christchurch for Europe to take part in the preparatory games, Sharland stated, “I needed a break after the Commonwealth Games and worked on getting strength back into my knee. Apart from a few niggles I have been injury
free. It's the best run I've had for a long time.”
Ian Rutledge, the former trainer of the Black Sticks, inducted Sharland into the national side when she was only a 17-year-old young blood. After playing eight years, she earned some 127 international caps and graced the colours of Black Sticks in many tournaments.
Sharland was at her best in the just-concluded Australian Hockey League (AHL), where she donned the colours for OAMPS Southern Suns and made the title victory possible for the first time since their debut back in 1995. In the next fourteen months, Sharland
will be a key player in the young Black Sticks to upgrade the ranking of the team.
The first task of the Black Sticks ahead of the 2012 London Olympics will be the Champion Trophy where they will have to prove their worth. In the trophy, some eight teams have been divided into two pools of which New Zealand is featured with Australia,
the Netherland and Germany. The other group is comprised of England, South Korea, China and the world champions Argentina.
Though, the Black Sticks have never secured a better position than the fifth place in the event. On the other side, Sharland is expecting a much higher position in the tournament for her team.
She was of the opinion that they wanted to get a place among the top two teams, adding that they would try to beat Australia and Germany. It is pertinent to mention here that the Black Sticks lastly faced Hockeyroos in the Commonwealth Games and were defeated
in the penalty shoot-out round.
Ahead of the trophy, they will contest some seven preparatory games. They will face Germany, China, Netherland and South Korea in the build-up games.
With the upcoming Champions Trophy this year, the hectic period of the Black Sticks is soon to begin. In the upcoming fourteen months, the Women’s team of New Zealand will be busy in the national league and Olympics build-up.
Tags: