But there is no place the Black Sticks captain would rather be as she prepares for the Summer of Hockey tournament in Dunedin next week.
Shannon barely had her feet on the ground after arriving back in the country from India when she hopped on another flight to link up with the Black Sticks in the South.
‘‘I literally got off the plane three-four days ago now, and just came straight back down here.
‘‘It had been a bit hectic — the jet lag’s still there,’’ she said.
Playing her second season in India had been a great experience leading in to the home tournament — which will feature Japan, the United States and a New Zealand A side, as well as the Black Sticks — at the McMillan Centre.
Shannon, who hails from Hawke’s Bay, was excited to be bringing the Black Sticks back to the region after 19 years.
‘‘My favourite place to play in the world is at home on a home turf.
‘‘You go play at all these big stadiums and play in India, playing in big stadiums in Holland and Argentina — but there’s just no place like playing at home.
‘‘It’s always exciting and I guess being somewhere like Dunedin and bringing hockey to somewhere else.
‘‘Having hockey in a region that doesn’t have [international] hockey is always really special to me, because I like to take hockey to a different region and share that with the future generation.’’
About 40 Kiwi athletes will receive exposure between the Black Sticks and New Zealand A next week, which was massive for development ahead of the World Cup and the Los Angeles Olympics, she said.
‘‘It’s super important for us to play them and get games under our belt.
‘‘We don’t have a lot of time together building into the World Cup, but I think we just have to make the most of the time that we do have ... that’s something that’s really important for this series.’’
The Black Sticks might not have been together for four months, but they ware riding high after a strong 2025 season.
They won the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup title for the first time and qualified for the Hockey World Cup — being held later this year — with a heroic win against Australia in Darwin.
‘‘We’ve got a really young group at the moment ... but the way they play, it bursts me with so much pride.
‘‘Playing in Australia, that’s a centralised programme and they spend so much time together and we turn up and do what we did in Darwin — it was really special.
‘‘I think that’s what kind of bonds us all together. We can grow a lot together through that and I think that’s something that pushes this group.
‘‘The prep that we’re going to have is going to be a lot of that classic Kiwi ‘get on with it, and charge on, and have a lot of fight’.’’
Life as a professional hockey player can be a juggling act in New Zealand.
While some players, like Shannon, head overseas to play all year, others are juggling full-time careers while training during the night and taking time off work to play.
‘‘I think that’s something that’s so special about our group, but it’s also something that’s really tough.
‘‘It shows a lot of resilience. It shows a lot of discipline and it shows a lot of character for the girls.
‘‘It’s not easy unfortunately, but I think the girls really embrace it, the girls love it and it’s something that’s really exciting.’’
The Black Sticks meet the United States in their opening game on Wednesday evening.
