The New Zealand men's and women's hockey teams have had to settle for second place at the Oceania Cup in Sydney, after they were both beaten by the hosts Australia in their respective finals.
The men's side was thumped 6-nil, after the Kookaburras leapt out to a 2-nil lead in the first five minutes and were up 4-nil at half-time.
George Muir of the Black Sticks contests a loose ball again Australia during the side's 6-nil loss in the Oceania Cup final. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2017 www.photosport.nz
The women's side were much more competitive but went down 2-nil.
New Zealand enjoyed more shots on goal but were unable to capitalise on their chances while Australia slotted two first half goals.
The match marked Black Sticks goalkeeper Sally Rutherford's 150th test cap.
The side's assistant coach Sean Dancer said it was a frustrating end to the tournament.
"We started well and had some really good chances, unfortunately our defence made a few errors and Australia made the most of those," he said.
"The trans-Tasman battle is something we always pride ourselves on so we know we need to be better heading into our biggest challenge of the year, the World League Final on our home turf next month."
