The New Zealand coach and his team arrive in the city today ahead of the Summer of Hockey tournament next week.
Tests against the United States and Japan, a clash with New Zealand A and a tournament final will offer the Black Sticks valuable preparation for the World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands in August.
The Black Sticks play most of their games on the road, and do not have the luxury of being fulltime athletes, so the Dunedin tournament is an opportunity that must not be wasted.
"The last time we were all together was four months ago, and as a coach, that’s a long time between drinks," Burrows said yesterday.
"We always have minimal preparation because funding determines how long we can spend together, so we usually only have a few days and then we have to play some international hockey.
"We need to make sure we prepare well outside of that, so we’re ready to go.
"This is a great start to the year but I don’t want a wake-up call. I want to make sure that, by the time we get to the World Cup, we’re ready to go."
The tournament also marks the first time the Black Sticks have played in Dunedin in 19 long years.
Burrows, who earned 343 caps and scored 151 goals (both records) for the New Zealand men, said it was "awesome" to be returning to the South, where he has vague memories of playing an international himself even further back.
"We’re always excited to play international hockey but it’s nice to get to a new venue, and not just play in Auckland because it’s a bit easier or whatever.
"Taking this tournament south is great for the game.
"The girls really enjoy playing hockey at home and in front of their peers because we are so often on the road outside New Zealand.
"We don’t get a lot of home games but we would certainly like some more to help with, I guess, sponsorship and just putting our game around the country."
The Summer of Hockey was briefly a five-nation tournament before India and South Korea withdrew.
Burrows still sees huge value in the event and is confident southern fans will get to enjoy some top-class hockey.
While he is keen to see if the Americans front with a different style of play, and is interested how Japan will look with a new coach and a bunch of fresh players, the tournament is more about what he wants to see from the Black Sticks.
"Since it’s the start of the year, we really want to focus on ourselves and playing our brand of hockey and see how that matches up."
Most coaches are reluctant to highlight individual players but Burrows is happy to identify some of the women in black who are set to strut their stuff.
While many poster girls for hockey are the flashy passers and goal-scorers, the Black Sticks’ star attraction is Grace O’Hanlon, recently named the best goalkeeper in world hockey.
Burrows also expects captain Olivia Shannon to wow with her high-end attack speed and game-breaking skill, while a relative newcomer to watch is midfielder Josephine Murray, who spent most of her childhood in the Netherlands and is the daughter of former Black Caps opener Darrin Murray.
The Blacks Sticks are coming off an excellent year in which they won the Nations Cup before upsetting Australia in the Oceania Cup.
"Our goal at Nations Cup was to blood some new players and try a different style of play, and we ended up winning, which was a bit of a bonus.
"The big one was the Oceania Cup. It’s always tough to get across the line against Australia because they’re basically professional, training fulltime, and we ask our athletes who don’t train together much to go and knock them off.
"We didn’t play our best at times, but we played well at the right time, and it was great to beat a tier 1 nation, who we don’t get to play a lot.
"It’s really hard to get a series against a tier 1 nation because they’re hooked up in the Pro League. At the moment, it’s looking like we won’t play a tier 1 nation until we get to the World Cup, so it’s really tough to gauge where you’re at."
