Inexperienced Black Sticks for Oceania Cup
- Dave Worsley
- Aug 21
- 2 min read
The Black Sticks Men's team is looking to topple Australia for the Oceania Cup title in Darwin next month.
The 13th edition of the Oceania Cup will be a classic showdown between New Zealand and Australia, which was designed as a best-of-three test match series to determine automatic qualification for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup.
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The squad is relatively inexperienced but does feature 28-year-old Sam Lane, who debuted for New Zealand in 2016 against Australia and has close to 100 international caps.
Dom Dixon featured in goal for the Black Sticks Men (BSM) in all games at last year's Paris Olympics, while 34-year-old Dan Lett first played for the team in 2014 and was part of the silver medal-winning team at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
The 19-man squad also features debutants Matthew Ruetsch and Bradley Rothwell, who will bring fresh energy to the group.
The BSM have already secured their World Cup spot, thanks to Australia’s earlier qualification through the FIH Pro League, meaning New Zealand will advance regardless of the series outcome.
There will still be plenty of motivation against the Kookaburras, with the chance to upset one of world hockey's powerhouses in their own backyard.
BLACK STICKS MEN SQUAD
Benji Culhane, Brad Read, Bradley Rothwell, Charlie Morrison, Dane Lett, Dom Dixon, Dylan Thomas, George Baker, Finn Ward, Isaac Houlbrooke, Joe Morrison, Malachi Buschl, Matthew Ruetsch, Patrick Ward, Sam Hiha, Sam Lane, Scott Boyde, Sean Findlay, Simon Yorston
BLACK STICKS MEN SCHEDULE
Game 1: Thursday, September 4, 8.30pm NZT
Game 2: Saturday, September 6, 6.30pm NZT
Game 3: Sunday, September 7, 6.30pm NZT
