Adrian Seconi: How's the body holding up? You play a lot of hockey these days.
Kane Russell: We've just got back from Europe and that was pretty darn tough. But I've come out all right.
AS: You got a few days off now?
KR: We've got about 10 days off, which is a long time for us. I'm going to pop back to Dunedin and see family and friends before we head away.
AS: Other than the hockey, what are you looking forward to the most about your first Olympic campaign?
KR: I'm really looking forward to getting to Rio. It's an awesome place. That and probably just the Village. I don't really know what to expect. I've heard some pretty amazing stories about the Village.
AS: What do you make of the Black Sticks' form?
KR: It was good to get the core of the side over to Europe and the boys have been playing pretty well. We just haven't been putting the ball in the back of the net as well as we would like.
AS: Where do you believe the Black Sticks are strong?
KR: We've got a pretty strong defensive unit and we aim to concede only one or two goals a game. If we can hold teams to that ... we're ganna be pretty dangerous.
AS: You guys are pretty potent on the counterattack, right?
KR: That is a huge part of our game and we've focused on that a lot over the last couple of years. Hopefully, we can get that going.
AS: The Black Sticks have struggled in front of goal and the penalty corners have been a bit disappointing as well. What is your view?
KR: We've had a look at our circle entries and how many opportunities we've been creating compared to other teams and by far we'd had a lot more.
So if we can just focus on field goals and scoring a few penalty corners, it is going to be a huge value to us.
Nick Woods and I have taken over from Andy Hayward, who was a bit of a drag-flick expert.
There has been a bit of pressure on us but we're pretty confident.
It only takes a few things to click and we'll be back on form.
AS: What is the pressure like when you know you're the one who is getting the opportunity to take a penalty corner?
KR: The heart-rate goes up a little bit.
To be honest it is pretty darn exciting.
There is a lot of weight on your shoulders and you've got the opportunity to nail the game, perhaps in the last minute.
That part of it definitely excites me.
AS: How do you manage your emotions so you don't become overwhelmed by the occasion?
KR: We have a lot of cool heads in the group.
When you are awarded a penalty corner, you come into a huddle and you just know all the boys are behind you and will support you if you miss.
AS: How much time do you spend practising penalty corners?
KR: Most training sessions we'll get about 20 minutes to work on our penalty corners but it is pretty taxing on the body, so you can only do so many per session.
I don't know, perhaps 30 flicks, three times a week.
If I go over that, I start to break down.
AS: How fast do you flick the ball?
KR: I'd say the fastest is probably around 120ish (kmh) but mine haven't been measured in a while.
AS: Would you rather flick the ball at the goal or run towards it when someone else is flicking it in?
KR: There is a real incentive to get out there fast because the faster you get out there the lower it hits you.
I have not been doing that role in the last couple of years ... probably because I was not running a brave enough line.
AS: Can't blame you for that Kane. Group A looks pretty tough. How do you feel about your draw?
KR: There are no easy draws but we're pretty happy with it.
We think we can beat all those teams when we are at the top of our game.
If we can get a win in our first two games, it will set us up well for the crossover.
If there was a team I didn't want to face [in the quarterfinals] it would be Germany.
AS: What are the Black Sticks' medal prospects?
KR: To be honest, I think they are pretty good.
