Two new caps, Natasha Fitzsimons and Cathryn Finlayson, join the Black Sticks Women to take on arch-rivals Australia in the upcoming series this month (8-17 February).

Both have demonstrated their tenacity and skill on the pitch to earn their place on the team. Black Sticks Coach, Mark Hager, says the series will give the new caps, plus the rest of the team, valuable exposure at an international level.

“While we’re a relatively young team in terms of international game play, I know the team has it in them to rise to the occasion,” says Hager. “This series will help to build depth in the team, especially with Emily Naylor not available due to injury.” New Zealand has beaten Australia the past two times they have clashed - most recently at the finals of both the 2009 and 2007 Oceania Cup.

Current rankings for the teams are ninth and fifth for New Zealand and Australia respectively. The Black Sticks Women arrived in Perth on Sunday 7 February. The team’s first games will be warm up matches against the Australian academy squad, before taking on the Hockeyroos in a three test series on 14, 16 and 17 February.

This Series kicks off an outstanding year of hockey for the Black Sticks Women, who will also take on Argentina and India (April and May respectively) on New Zealand turf, before heading off to the prestigious Samsung Champions Trophy in July (Nottingham, England), the BDO FIH World Cup in September (Rosario, Argentina) and the Commonwealth Games in October (Delhi, India).

Team New Zealand: Samantha Charlton, Krystal Forgesson, Katie Glynn, Sally Rutherford, Ella Gunson, Clarissa Eshuis, Lucy Talbot, Stacey Brannigan, Sam Harrison, Gemma Flynn, Anna Thorpe, Charlotte Harrison, Jasmin McQuinn, Bianca Russell, Stacey Michelsen, Natasha Fitzsimons, Laura Douglas, Cathryn Finlayson.

Source: Hockey New Zealand