Archibald may break from Black Sticks

Black Sticks captain Ryan Archibald stopped short of announcing his international retirement yesterday but he gave a broad hint that his days in the black shirt are numbered.

Speaking after New Zealand beat Pakistan 4-2 to finish seventh at the Olympics, the 212 capped playmaker said he would be trimming back on his international commitments and felt three or four others were thinking likewise.

"I think you'll find this is the end of the road for our No 1 goalkeeper Paul Woolford and three or four others are probably thinking about.

"I've not fully decided yet. I'm still playing for my Dutch club (Rotterdam) so I'll still be involved but New Zealand-wise I may take a break." 

Archibald is young at 27, but packed with experience. But even though he had a fine tournament he could not drag the side through to a more fitting finish than seventh.

"It's nice to finish on a little high but we are disappointed we are not playing for fifth and sixth, that would be more accurate," he said.

Coach Shane McLeod concurred, saying a couple of slips ups plunged them into the seventh-eighth playoff, which they won more comfortably than the 4-2 scoreline yesterday suggests.

"Today we proved we have moved above teams like Pakistan and it is nations like Great Britain and ours who are moving above India and Pakistan," McLeod said.

"If everything had gone well we may have made the semi but this team will have its day and I'm picking by 2010 this squad will be at its peak."

New Zealand appreciated the freedom granted them yesterday with 20 year-old Simon Child looking sharp up front, Archibald controlling the game and Dean Couzins barking orders from the back.

Hayden Shaw scored twice from as many penalty corners to take his goal tally to five, Gareth Brooks chipped in with a second half goal and Child scored a gem to give him four goals despite a broken finger.

Child, a star in the making, described his hand as "90 per cent" by the end and "70 per cent" at the start.

"A couple of times I missed a few traps that I would normally nail, but I'm just thinking first Olympics at 20, next one at 24 so I'm going to set some goals for London and we'll see how it goes."

Child has now scored 65 goals in 87 games, though 11 of those game in the world record win against Papua New Guinea.

He is now off to Rotterdam to play professionally alongside Archibald and striker Phil Burrows.

- © Fairfax NZ News