Master and apprentice combine for Olympic assault
When Black Sticks bolter Sean Findlay discovered he had made the final cut for the Tokyo Olympics, his first response to coach Darren Smith was: ‘‘are you sure?’’
Yet while the 19-year-old midfielder may have been taken aback by his selection, veteran team-mate Shea McAleese, who has just about done it all in international hockey and has followed Findlay’s career from the outset, has no doubt he is ready.
‘‘As much as it is the Olympic Games you’ve just got to turn up and play,’’ McAleese told Stuff. ‘‘That is the biggest thing and I think that’s why Sean has made the group as such a young guy. Every opportunity put in front of him in the last 12 months he’s just taken it.
‘‘Whereas some people get overawed by the situation and playing Australia in your first test match, he performed really well through all four games.’’
Findlay and McAleese represent the young and old of the New Zealand men’s squad and the Hawke’s Bay pair share a special bond.
As a close friend of Findlay’s father Graeme, McAleese has known Sean all his life, and in recent years has been a mentor to the New Zealand under-21 player of the year.
With Covid-19 restrictions preventing his wife, 2016 Olympic kayaker Jaimee Lovett and their baby daughter, from making the trip for McAleese’s fourth and final Games, Findlay’s inclusion has provided a personal touch for the 314-test defender.
‘‘With Sean being there it has that little bit of family element to it, which is awesome,’’ McAleese said. ‘‘I’ve known him since he was born and he deserves his place.
‘‘It will be pretty special. Hopefully, all going well between now and our first game, that we both walk out onto the pitch together.’’
Labelling McAleese as a ‘‘bit of an idol’’ growing up, Findlay added that of all the advice he’s soaked up over the years, a simple message stood out. ‘‘Always back yourself and always have a crack.’’
That attitude served him well last month when Findlay made his
Black Sticks debut in the series against Australia.
He essentially booked his ticket to Japan with those four appearances, scoring a goal while impressing with his versatility and temperament under pressure
against more seasoned opposition.
As much as Findlay’s Olympic call-up came out of the blue, you can bet he won’t die wondering in Tokyo.
‘‘When I was rung about it, I sort of questioned Darren a bit and said
‘are you sure’,’’ Findlay recalled. ‘‘He said ‘we think you’ve done enough to justify a spot’. I was still a little surprised but now I’m stoked.
‘‘I tried to do as much as I could in the four games I had and clearly did enough to show the coaches something.
‘‘I just want to be able to see what I can achieve at that level, put my best forward and play with a little bit of flair. Just have a crack and see how I number up against the rest of the world.’’
McAleese, the fourthhighest capped Black Stick of all time, will bring his illustrious career to an end at the conclusion of the Games. But the prospect of an Olympic swansong wasn’t so certain when the sporting showpiece was postponed last year due to the pandemic.
With niggly injuries mounting, the 36-year-old began to question if his body could hang on for another 12 months.
A pep talk from his wife ensured McAleese kept going. The irony is, Findlay was adamant he wouldn’t have got the chance to share this special moment with his mentor if
Tokyo 2020 got under way as scheduled.
‘‘100 per cent, if the Games hadn’t been postponed I wouldn’t be going. I wasn’t in the squad and had only really been at under-21s level.’’
Now both are in the squad, they have targetted a place on the podium as McAleese looks to bow out in style with an elusive Olympic medal, to go with his Commonwealth Games silver (2018) and bronze (2010).
The difficulty of achieving such a lofty goal was laid bare against world No 2 Australia, who swept their recent series 4-0. However, that was the eighth-ranked Kiwis’ first taste of international competition for 15 months.
McAleese was confident there was enough time to improve before opening their Olympic campaign against India on July 24, with two more tests against the Kookaburras in Perth on June 26-27 a chance to gauge their progress.
‘‘The biggest challenge for us is depth in New Zealand. So I think the first couple of games [against Australia] were a bit of a shock and that’s OK,’’ McAleese said.
‘‘The biggest thing from that series was that it was a stake in the ground for us. We know, whereas Australia’s room for improvement might be five per cent of where they are at, ours could be exponential.
‘‘If we’re realistic about medalling –and obviously we’re targeting gold – we need to improve by 20, 30 per cent to be able to do that.’’
‘‘Just have a crack and see how I number up against the rest of the world.’’
Sean Findlay, 19, on his plans for the Olympics
‘‘If we’re realistic about medalling –and obviously we’re targeting gold – we need to improve by 20, 30 per cent.’’
Shea McAleese
314-test Black Stick