A 27-man team has been selected by Head Coach Robert Macaluso after trials and training held in Auckland, New Zealand during January 2014.
According to Coach Macaluso, “Our coaching staff has chosen a talented group of athletes who are committed to accepting the responsibility of intense preparation as a standard for representing New Zealand. Players and coaches alike are looking forward to sharing the international stage with our lacrosse brothers from around the world.”
A final playing team of 23 players will be announced by 9th July 2014.
The team includes veterans Ben Gilmore (Midfield), Nick Ravenhall (Face off), and Nick Low (Attack) who will be participating in their 4th World Championships for New Zealand.
It also includes three 19 year olds who will be playing in their first World Championships and who represent the future of NZ Lacrosse. Jeremy Kincaid (midfield) and Max van der Maas (defence), play for current domestic league champions the Eastern Chiefz and have represented New Zealand at under 15 and under 18 level, whilst John Clayton (attack) is a New Zealander currently playing for the University of Colorado at Boulder.
New Zealand is looking to build on the 15th place achieved in Manchester (England) in 2010 and will play Argentina, Russia and Wales in group play.
NEW ZEALAND MEN’S NATIONAL LACROSSE TEAM
Casey McLain – Goalkeeper – Harbour Hawks
Heath Simone – Goalkeeper – Tamaki Titans
Alex Pritzlaff – Defence – Hampden-Sydney College
Andrew Pritzlaff – Defence – Hampden-Sydney College
Johnny Pritzlaff – Defence – Hampden-Sydney College
Brad Tuz – Defence – University of San Diego
Andy Beetham – Defence – Wildcats
Mohamed Al-Khayat – Defence – Wildcats
Max Van der Maas – Defence – Eastern Chiefz
Jeremy Kincaid – Midfield – Eastern Chiefz
Mike Clayton – Midfield – Chapman University
Edward Roberts – Midfield – College Rifles
Omar Al-Khayat – Midfield – Wildcats
Jeremy Lee – Midfield – Melbourne CC Lacrosse
Andy Muir – Midfield – Harbour Hawks
Toby Delamore – Midfield – Wildcats / New England College
Nick Ravenhall – Faceoff – Oslo Legends
Henry Ling – Midfield – College Rifles
Ash Barnes – Midfield – Eastern Chiefz
Roderick John – Midfield – Eastern Chiefz
Ben Gilmore – Midfield – Harbour Hawks
Aaron Graham – Attack – Tamaki Titans
Nick Low – Attack – Harbour Hawks
John Clayton – Attack – University of Colarado at Boulder
Andrew Clayton – Attack – Lakeridge High School
Richard Clayton – Attack – Chapman University
James Devine – Attack – Ponsonby
New Zealand Lacrosse History
The Sport of Lacrosse was first played in New Zealand in the late 1880’s and through to 1914. In August 1914 the Proud Cup was awarded to the Kelbourne Club in Wellington. At the same time it was announced that the proposed visit of a lacrosse team from New South Wales was cancelled because of the war.
Men’s Lacrosse was not played again in New Zealand until the summer of 2000 when the New Zealand Lacrosse Association (NZLA), alongside the New Zealand Women’s Lacrosse Association were established by a group of expatriate lacrosse enthusiasts. This small group taught others the game and developed enough players to form a four team league.
Since then Lacrosse has expanded at a senior level to six men’s clubs and four women’s clubs in the Auckland/Waikato region.
Lacrosse is now played in New Zealand high schools as a sanctioned sport in both the men’s and women’s format. There are currently 17 girl’s high school teams and 12 boy’s high school teams participating in the Auckland Schools Lacrosse League.
Lacrosse in New Zealand is a rapidly developing sport with strong growth at junior and youth level, regional growth in Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch, and representative teams regularly competing in tournaments in Australia.
New Zealand has successfully hosted two Asia Pacific Lacrosse Tournaments (2007 and 2011) and is building its reputation as a competitive Lacrosse playing nation in overseas tournaments.
On 25th April 2014 (ANZAC Day – Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), New Zealand and Australia men and women played “the game that never was” to commemorate the 100 years since the cancellation of the game against New South Wales and to acknowledge those killed in war and to honour returned servicemen and women.
The New Zealand Men’s National team is preparing to participate in its 4th World Championships in Denver in 2014. At the last championships in 2010 the team finished 15th out of 29 Nations – the highest ranking to date and a platform for further success in 2014.
World Championship History:
2010 – 15th out of 29
2006 – 19th out of 21
2002 – 15th out of 15
Head Coach: Robert Macaluso
Assistant Coaches: Jim Kaspar (Defensive Coordinator), Roger Snow (Goalkeeping Coach), Gavin Higgins (Offensive Coordinator), Jeremy Rualo (Face-off and Midfield Coach), Curtis Lamb (Strength and Conditioning Coach), Adam Ranns (Trainer)
Manager: David Zussman
Name of Lacrosse National Governing Body: New Zealand Lacrosse Association
Website: https://www.nzlacrosse.com/
