Hockey is about to hog the limelight, with the Black Sticks men hosting the Champions Trophy in Auckland over the next week. Sports editor Hayden Meikle catches up with captain Dean Couzins.
Hayden Meikle: What are you up to at the moment?
Dean Couzins: Reasonably quiet at the moment. Lots of eating and a few meetings to prepare for the tournament.
HM: Is there a fair amount of excitement building over the Champions Trophy?
DC: Yeah, there sure is. I think everyone's pretty excited about playing in front of their friends and family and the community. It's quite special. If we do this well, we have an opportunity to make it a real highlight.
HM: Where does the Champions Trophy fit in? Is it sort of the next most important thing in hockey after the Olympics?
DC: Oh, Olympics, then World Cup, then Champions Trophy. The first two have the top 12 teams in the world, the Champions Trophy has eight.
All hockey players regard the Olympics as the pinnacle, just ahead of the World Cup. Then we've got the Champions Trophy and the Commonwealth Games.
HM: There's going to be plenty of TV coverage of the tournament. Is it nice for you guys to be in the spotlight?
DC: Yeah, it's fantastic. It's great for our team and for New Zealand hockey. The girls have had a really good year, too. Hopefully, we can build on that and get some really good results over the next week or so.
HM: Is there pressure to perform as well? Considering you're at home?
DC: Yeah, it probably does put pressure on us to perform. I think a lot of people see our team as one that is capable of doing something. It's up to us to make sure we grab the opportunity and don't let it slide by. People have to realise how close this tournament generally is. You end up with everyone beating everyone. Any team can lose to any other side at this tournament. We need to make sure, mentally and game plan-wise, we're ready to get stuck in every game. I'm sure that our best is good enough.
But if we're not quite there, we'll get beaten.
HM: New Zealand hockey teams have done pretty well in the last few years. But I wonder if they've just lacked that super-stunning achievement, like the 1976 men who won Olympic gold, to really make people pay attention to the sport.
DC: I think we've had some good achievements. In 2002, we won silver at the Commonwealth Games, and got there by beating Pakistan in convincing fashion in the semifinal. You might be right, but what I'd prefer is to see really consistent results. To see our men and women making World Cup semifinals, winning medals at the Champions Trophy, getting to Olympic semifinals.
And doing that on a reasonably consistent basis. That's what I'd prefer.
HM: Were you surprised to be made captain of the Black Sticks so close to the tournament?
DC: I think so. It certainly wasn't something I was expecting. But I'm just ready to get on and get stuck into it.
HM: The New Zealand squad is incredibly experienced.
You've got 237 caps yourself, and three of your team-mates have even more than you. That's almost mind-blowing.
DC: It's fantastic to have such experience. I'm sitting in a room at the moment with one old man who's played more than 260 games. There's another one here with 100-odd. It's nice. We've been through so much together.
All these guys stand up and play well and contribute a lot of leadership.
HM: How many tests do you play every year? It must be 25 to 30.
DC: Yeah, it's a pretty busy calendar. But it's nice. We want to be playing at all the major events. This is my third Champions Trophy.
HM: Do most of you guys hold down jobs at the same time?
DC: It's probably about half and half. I think half the guys have a job and half are studying. A few play overseas now and then. It's good to have something outside hockey.
HM: I don't imagine you and Richie McCaw compare pay cheques.
DC: Ha ha. No, I don't think the hockey wages compare too favourably with many other sports.
HM: Does that ever bug you? That you guys work hard but don't get the same attention or commercial benefits as rugby players or cricketers?
DC: I don't think it bugs me too much. It would be really nice if we got a few more opportunities. It would make life easier. But that's not why we play. We've got a lot of guys who are just really passionate about playing for New Zealand. The best thing we can do is get good results.
That will lift hockey's profile and get people behind us.
HM: After the Champions Trophy, will you switch straight into Olympic countdown mode?
DC: Oh, for sure. Everyone's got one eye on London. We need to make sure our planning is completely sorted. We need to nail down our programme, and get some good competition. I think we've got some home tests lined up.
HM: How are the Southern boys, Hugo Inglis and Blair Tarrant, going?
DC: They're both going along nicely. They've been to a couple of big events and racked up plenty of caps. It's great for those young guys to be exposed to really high-quality hockey at that stage of their careers.
HM: If my memory serves me, you lived in Dunedin once upon a time.
DC: I did. I met my wife in Dunedin. I went to Arana Hall and studied phys ed for a couple of years. I only left because of hockey. I'd just made the national team and I was the only rep down there.
It was a very tough decision to leave. I was actually just in Dunedin a couple of weeks ago. One of my old flatmates got married, so we had a bit of a celebration. It was cool to catch up with everyone.
HM: So we can claim you as a former Otago man, then.
DC: Ha ha. Definitely.
