Black Sticks motivated for chance at gold

Coach Mark Hager believes their Beijing disaster is driving the senior Black Sticks to a new level.

The New Zealand women's hockey team plays the Netherlands tomorrow morning for a place in the gold medal match.

Hager says they are hugely motivated.

"For people like Kayla (Sharland) and Emily (Naylor), and Krystal Forgesson and Gemma Flynn, who came last in the last Olympics - they're leading the team really well and putting in the hard yards and they're probably feeding the girls on what it was like last time and the heartbreak and the pain."

Kayla Sharland says it means a lot to go this far.

"It's huge. Coming last in Beijing wasn't good for me and that's why I'm back here and that's why I wanted to change it around and do something special, and we've done that. Well, we haven't yet, but we want to do something special."

But the challenge is huge against the world number one Dutch, who've looked the class team so far.

Set the alarm clocks as the match starts at 2:30am.

Photo: Photosport