COMBINATION MUST BE HOCKEY TEAM'S GOAL

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30562, 3 October 1964, Page 11

COMBINATION MUST BE HOCKEY TEAM'S GOAL

WHEN the New Zealand Olympic team beat the Indian Olympic team in the first test of the latter’s recent tour in Auckland, it was natural that hockey enthusiasts would feel some elation, especially after the International Hockey Federation had rated New Zealand in eleventh place amongst the hockey playing nations. It had based this rating, no doubt, upon our disappointing results from 19 international engagements since the Rome Olympics in 1960. It was felt that the Auckland test would vastly improve the morale of the team, and supply a justification, which our international record had barely supported, for hockey representation in Tokyo. There was a tendency to overlook the appalling form of the Indians, and their subsequent recovery and overwhelming victories in the second and third tests have tended to put matters back into their former perspective. It was ironical that New Zealand’s defeat by 8-2 should be accompanied by news from Australia on the same day that Pakistan had been beaten by Australia, 2-1. It would appear, therefore that our prospects in the Olympic hockey tournament are not good. It must be remembered, however, that this 1964 Indian team, as it developed during its New Zealand tour, produced what is likely to be the most skilful and powerful attack in the world, and that the New Zealand defence would have been posed problems

with which the Australians were not likely to have been confronted. It was not an inadequate organisation of the New Zealand defence which permitted India an average of five goals per test. Our players moved into position well enough; but the Indian dribbling eluded so many tackles that the positioning could not be maintained. Against lesser teams at Tokyo New Zealand is not likely to concede so many goals, and decreased pressure should enable its defence to develop counterattacks more readily. Seldom did our forwards reveal much combination in these tests with India, and this is disturbing because the Indian defence was vulnerable and it is possible that New Zealand will meet teams with stronger defences, The solo breaks of P. Bygrave and B. Judge appeared to be the most

effective methods of advance but solo breaks are futile against defence in depth. One emphatic lesson taught by the Indian forwards was the need for skilful dribbling to be supplemented by , accurate passing and close support, and for all their skill none of them attempted too much individually. , New Zealand’s prospects will depend upon the ability of all the players to : combine as a team, work- : ing hard enough to sustain at all times sound positioning, and to achieve a high ’ level of accuracy and certainty in the basic skills of trapping and passing. These ; alone will not make it a i great side, but they will I render it more difficult to > defeat. An appreciation of I the limitations of the team ■ will enable us to look upon ; triumph and disaster as twin • imposters, and, perhaps, to : take further advice from ■ Kipling with regard to the t future.