FIJI Hockey began their New Zealand Heritage Hockey Tournament campaign with a strong start in their opening matches at the North Harbour Hockey Centre in Auckland yesterday.
The Kaiviti Heritage men’s team won 8-1 in their first match over NZ Pasifika while their female counterparts conquered NZ Pasifika with a close 5-4 finish.
Speaking on behalf of the men’s team, player Terence Corrie emphasised their win stemmed from possessing discipline and taking a serious approach to their level of play.
“We hold high standards to the way we play and discipline to our structure, so we take the learnings from this game, and we look forward to the next game,” Corrie told NZ Heritage Hockey.
With a win already in the bag for the team, they were considering a prudent approach for their next encounter against the NZ Asians this afternoon.
“Just our teamwork, our decision-making and just keeping the game as simple as possible,” he stressed.
In preparing for their first match against the Pasifika team, the two teams engaged in a scrimmage session on Thursday.
“Good way to start, we had a scrimmage yesterday with the boys from New Zealand, so it was good to get a run on our belt before we start the first game,” he revealed.
For Corrie and his teammates, representing Fiji along with the support they received was a bonus to their first win.
“Just proud to represent our heritage and our culture from back home, I’d like to thank all those who made this opportunity possible, and it’s a pleasure and a good learning experience for us back home,” he said.
The men’s team will play at 2pm and the women face the NZ Asians women’s team at 4pm.
