Wilson weighs up hockey future
Black Stick Nick Wilson is yet to decide on his hockey future and whether he will play for New Zealand again.
The 170-test striker has taken a break from the international game since the Rio Olympics last year.
‘‘I haven’t officially retired, but I’m taking a break from the game, probably at least for a year, at least this year,’’ he said.
‘‘I’ll still play [National Hockey League] but I’m taking a break from the New Zealand scene to see how my body goes this year.
‘‘Because it was quite tough last year to get through, I’ll reassess whether to keep playing.’’
He said he needed a break to refresh the brain and body.
‘‘I was feeling mentally pretty chocka with hockey and it was also a tough year with work and everything involved. It’s always a tough year with the Olympics.’’
Wilson, 27, had a serious knee injury which kept him out of the game for 18 months in 2013 and 2014, and although he returned to fitness, he is still suffering a slight hangover with his knee.
His knee is unlikely to ever get back to 100 per cent because he doesn’t have cartilage in part of it, so it can get quite painful.
‘‘I have to reassess whether I’m going to run myself into a wheelchair by the time I’m finished.’’
How his body fares is the No 1 thing that will determine if he retires.
‘‘It’s whether the body can sustain what the [New Zealand] guys are doing now.’’
Even though he is on an international break, Wilson is playing club hockey for North Harbour’s Hibiscus Dairy Flat and he is still enjoying it.
He said it was refreshing to play a whole club season, because usually he only plays a handful of games a season.
For now, he is still working at Auckland real estate company Barfoot Commercial and he said he was their No 2 salesman.
The devastating 3-2 loss to Germany in the Olympic quarterfinals, where New Zealand led 2-0 but conceded three goals in the last four minutes, was still in the back of Wilson’s mind, but he had moved on.
The Black Sticks finished seventh at the tournament.
Wilson hasn’t spoken to new Black Sticks coach Darren Smith about returning, but is in no rush to make a decision.
Wilson told the coaching staff he was taking a break last year when Colin Batch was still the coach.
The Black Sticks team, which is playing in Malaysia at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, has a lot of young players and Wilson hasn’t even played with some of them.
A couple of the older Black Sticks players have retired since the Olympics and there are about 11 playing in Europe.
Wilson has been to two Olympics and one Commonwealth Games since he debuted for New Zealand in 2007 aged 17.