Veteran men's Black Sticks, Phil Burrows, Andy Hayward and Steve Edwards have been left out of the 2016 national squad in the lead up to this year's Rio Olympics.
Phil Burrows has been left out of the 2016 men's Black Sticks squad. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
National coach Colin Batch named a 25-man squad for the 2016 year, with Ryan Archibald and Simon Child leading the pack as the most experienced members.
Batch said selections for the national squad were extremely tough given the growing depth and quality of players within the wider group.
"The 25 players we have named in the national squad have the best opportunity to be selected for Rio, and we have seen a lot of pressure from within the group to further the development of each individual which is pleasing," he said.
"While we still look to leadership from the more experienced players like Ryan, Brad and Kyle, it's the younger group who are taking on more and more responsibility. That's a shift we're seeing within the squad right now in our evolution to building a sustainable level of experience."
Batch said Burrows, Hayward and Edwards haven't signalled any intent to retire from international hockey and remain under consideration for future selection.
Canterbury striker Dominic Newman is the only debutant named in the squad.
