Against the backdrop of New Zealand’s proud sporting history and many accomplishments on the world stage, a dream come true for one of our country’s minor sports has barely registered a blip.
But for the New Zealand men’s handball team - and teammates Cameron Ross (Ngāti Ruanui), Willy Makea (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongowhakaata) and Aston Lang (Ngāpuhi) - it is a feeling that they will never forget, winning New Zealand’s first match at Asia’s top handball tournament in a sport played by 30 million enthusiasts worldwide.
“What a feeling!” said Lang, after their 36-31 victory over India in Bahrain on Tuesday (NZT) in the playoff for 15th and 16th place, the bottom two spots at the tournament.
“I checked the scoreboard over and over again in the final seconds, just to make sure I hadn’t missed something.”
“It was such a relief.”
Also feeling lighter was Ross, now the weight of their efforts to make New Zealand handball history have lifted off their shoulders.
“The moment that final whistle went I just felt an amazing sense of pride, happiness and a little relief.”
“It has been a long journey to get to this moment and to be a part of that history will always be something I cherish.”
The team needed everything to come together and it did.
“Some stats from the game. Aston, Cam and myself all shot 100% in the game. Aston (6/6), Cam (4/4) and myself (1/1),” said Makea.
“Cam and Aston, they were on fire.”
They celebrated with a haka.
“Back in the changing rooms we did a haka for our captain [James Cochrane] who played his last match. And it all set in at once - a really fulfilling experience and a genuine feeling of pride,” said Lang.
Keeping the faith
The team set itself a monumental goal of a first win in only New Zealand’s third appearance at the Asian Men’s Handball Championship, now in its 21st edition.
In Kuwait in 2020, they came close, narrowly losing to Hong Kong, 34-30. Otherwise, it has been a string of losses, many of them heavy defeats.
Cue the 2024 championship and the quiet belief this could be their time.
“This is probably the first time we’ve had a real shot at winning a match, the first time we’ve really had depth in the quality of our team,” Lang said pre-tournament.
But when they lost all their pool matches heavily, and then all their second-round matches which offered the best chance of winning a game - including against Hong Kong - well, many might have written them off.
They kept believing, though.
“What kept us motivated was recognising all of our improvements from game to game. We had a short window of opportunity to learn from our mistakes and refine our skills. The transformation from our first pre-tournament match to our last was huge,” said Lang.
“Confidence was the biggest improvement for us though. Overcoming hesitation and playing without fear was something we talked about and acknowledged as a team.”
Makea said New Zealand coach Roland van den Tillaar was adamant they should keep improving every match.
“Even in our losses, our coach kept us focused on our own systems and ensured we were getting better each game.”
The team threw everything at it, even when they got battered, said Lang.
“Our main focus for this campaign was to win a match. We saw every match as an opportunity to achieve that and played each match as though it was going to be the one, right up to the last second every time.
“By treating every match like this, the fire and focus never dimmed for us. Even though we had difficult opponents and big losses, as a team we knew what we had to do.”
Ross said he kept himself in a positive headspace.
“For me, it was about staying relaxed, doing my best and focusing on the positives.
“We knew our opponents in the first round would be a huge challenge and that our chances were going to be found in the second round.
“Having an experienced squad with multiple campaigns under the belt certainly helped us to keep perspective and focus on our goal.”
Ross said the team’s ability to bounce back from disappointments was a game-changer.
“I was super impressed by our resilience after losing to Hong Kong - which was a game that we felt got too far away from us - but we managed to put it away and move on to the next task.”
A dream hanging by a thread
After second-round defeats to Saudia Arabia 46-27, Hong Kong 36-25 and Chinese Taipei 36-17, their dream was hanging by a thread.
And then they beat India.
“Right up to our final match, we continued improving small aspects of our game. It just so happened that our last match is where it all came together and resulted in the win,” said Lang.
“India kept coming back throughout the game, so I’m really proud of how we kept our composure and closed out the game,” added Makea.
Ross said, “Throughout the tournament, we had seen patches but this was definitely our most complete performance.
“I think this win is huge. My hope is that it shows the next generation that we can compete on this stage. It starts with this win now, and two to three in the next tournament and so on.
“We have such talented people in New Zealand that the sky is really the limit - but you have to create a culture of belief. My hope is that teams of the future will use it as a benchmark and be inspired to go one better each time.”
Makea agrees.
“I hope this win is the start of something a lot bigger for New Zealand handball. We have some good young players coming through and I hope this inspires them to one day leave their own mark in the black jersey.
“I want to recognise our youngest player, Paul Pringot, who unfortunately suffered a knee injury in our last warm-up match and was ruled out of the tournament. The boys really felt for him and we can’t wait to see him back on the court.”
‘We just smile’
Lang said it has been an indescribable experience.
“It’s hard to find the words to really share what this experience has been like for us and what it’s like to be a part of this team. It’s a unique and special bond we have with each other, and it’s amazing to finally have something to share for the years of commitment.”
Ross, 35 - who may have played his last indoor handball international - said it is hard to contain their smiles.
“It feels so good. Hanging out with the guys today, and there have just been moments where we look at each other and just smile. It means a lot to get that first win for everyone that has laid the foundation before us.
“Hearing the anthem, leading the haka and playing for my country was my childhood dream and something I will cherish forever.”