Brad Shaw joins brother on sidelines

Brad Shaw has joined brother Hayden on the unavailable list for the men's hockey World Cup in New Delhi in February.

Shaw's wife, Melissa, is due to have their first child on March 1, the day after the World Cup starts.

Shaw, 26, has been a key defender in the New Zealand team for the past two years.

He said he never had to make a choice about whether he played at the World Cup because he had already decided before the Black Sticks qualified that he would be staying at home for the birth.

New Zealand qualified for the World Cup by winning a tournament in Invercargill last month, beating Malaysia 2-1 in the final.

Shaw was an integral part of the defence in that tournament, along with brother Hayden, New Zealand's leading penalty-corner drag-flick exponent.

Hayden has also announced his unavailability for the World Cup this week, preferring instead to put some time into his career as a primary school teacher.

Neither brother played in the Champions Challenge tournament in Argentina this month, where the Black Sticks qualified for the elite Champions Trophy tournament in July next year. However, they might be available for that tournament.

"We will have to get back in the team first," Brad Shaw said.

"The guys played all right in Argentina."

Brad Shaw played in the last World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany, in 2006, and would like to have played in New Delhi.

"I didn't play very well in the last World Cup," he said.

The break has worked out well for Shaw.

It will enable him to focus on a troublesome hip injury.

"I've been carrying it for some time and the doctors thought they had it diagnosed but just this week they've gone back to the drawing board, so I'm waiting to find out what the next step will be."

Shaw said his 2010 goal was to win selection for the Commonwealth Games, but he was not looking as far ahead as the 2012 London Olympics.

"I'm just taking it a year at the time at the moment. With a family, a new house and teaching, I've got to make sure I am doing things justice."

Meanwhile, New Zealand coach Shane McLeod yesterday named a 21-strong squad to prepare for the World Cup.

The final 18 for the tournament will be named on January 31.

Black Sticks: Ryan Archibald, Priyesh Bhana, Joel Baker, Joseph Bartholomew, Phillip Burrows, Simon Child, Ben Collier, Dean Couzins, Steve Edwards, Stephen Graham, David Green, Nick Haig, Andy Hayward, Blair Hilton, Blair Hopping, Hugo Inglis, Shea McAleese, Arun Panchia, Richard Petherick, Kyle Pontifex, Nick Wilson.

- © Fairfax NZ News