New men's Black Sticks coach Colin Batch knows who to turn to as he bids to improve on the side's disappointing performance at the London Olympics.
Batch is in a similar situation to former Australian team-mate Mark Hager when he took charge of the New Zealand women's team after their disastrous 2008 Beijing Olympic campaign.
The men considered themselves an outside medal chance in London but slumped to ninth place and Batch has been tasked with picking up the pieces after replacing Shane McLeod at the helm.
Hager has done a superb job since the beginning of 2009, turning around the women's side after they finished 12th in Beijing. They're now ranked third in the world and only narrowly missed out on a medal in London.
Batch, who has just finished a two-year stint coaching the Belgium national team, said he would be keen to seek out Hager for a chat - a man he played with at the 1986 World Cup when Australia claimed gold.
"I know the women didn't perform so well at Beijing and Mark's improved that programme enormously. They finished fourth at London and that's what I'll be eager to talk to him about, how he achieved that in a short timeframe."
Batch, who is contracted until the end of 2016, will begin his role with the sixth-ranked men in early November and work alongside McLeod during a transition phase.
The plan for the next 12 months will be to focus on developing a wider pool of players as the side faces the impending retirements of a handful of veterans and works towards success at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
"You can't have a successful Olympics in Rio if you don't develop players along the way. If you have a narrow squad of 16 or 17 or 18 players by the time you get to Rio it won't be enough."
The 54-year-old said assistant coach Darren Smith, who has worked with the Black Sticks at the past two Olympics, was welcome to remain as part of his coaching team.
Batch's coaching CV is extensive and includes a lengthy spell as assistant for the Australian side from 2001-2008, while he also enjoyed a 175-test playing career for the Kookaburras from 1979-1990.
He will also look to lead the Black Sticks towards qualifying for the next World Cup, due to be contested in the Netherlands in 2014.
