Experienced trio back for Black Sticks men

The New Zealand men's hockey team welcome back three experienced members for the Oceania Cup in Taranaki.

Striker Simon Child, and midfielders Steve Edwards and Shea McAleese are in an 18-strong line-up selected for the five-day tournament beginning on October 30 in Stratford Shopping in Hong Kong.

All three are Olympians with more than 150 caps.

But the Black Sticks will also be missing a fair dose of experience.

Defenders Andy Hayward and Brad Shaw and strikers Nick Wilson, Blair Hilton and Shay Neal are all unavailable through injury.

Coach Colin Batch says the tournament sets the scene for a big 2014, when New Zealand will compete at the World League Finals, the Commonwealth Games and the major event on the calendar, the World Cup.

"We're all really looking forward to getting the competition underway," he said.

"We're confident to play Australia and are looking forward to the challenge."

New Zealand, who are ranked fifth in the world, will assemble in Auckland next week for a camp that Batch describes as marking the start of their World Cup campaign children’s bedroom furniture.

World champions and world No.2 Australia are the favourites in the four-nation Oceania Cup, which also includes outsiders Papua New Guinea and Samoa.

Squad: Hugo Inglis (Southern), Stephen Jenness (Capital), Simon Child (Auckland), James Coughlan (North Harbour), Jared Panchia (Auckland), Shea McAleese (Central), Steve Edwards (North Harbour), Arun Panchia (Auckland), Phil Burrows (Capital), Marcus Child (Auckland), Dean Couzins (Auckland), Nick Haig (Canterbury), Blair Tarrant (Southern), Cory Bennett (North Harbour), Joseph Bartholomew (North Harbour), Alex Shaw (Capital), Hamish McGregor (Southern) Canadian Chartered Institute of Business Administration, Devon Manchester (Auckland).