Poland women's hockey team confident ahead of HWL Round 2

The Poland women's hockey team on Tuesday went through an intense training session and sounded confident of finishing on top in the Hockey World League (HWL) Round 2 that starts from Saturday at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here.

The World No.26 team will meet World No.45 Thailand in their first clash of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) tournament which serves as a part of the qualifiers for the Olympics. World No.13 India are the top ranked side in the event. Top two teams will qualify to the Round 3.

The Polish team is high on morale and geared up to exhibit their skills at the league.

"It's great to be back in India and we are really enjoying the weather and the hospitality here. We have a few days to go before the tournament begins and the team is practicing hard to get together as a strong playing unit," Poland head coach Krzyztof Rachwalski said.

"We are hopeful of having a good tournament and making it to the next round. We play our first game against Thailand and we are confident of getting off to a good start."

Commenting on the team's preparation, captain Marlena Rybacha said: "The team hasn't had a lot of time together and the next few days will be very crucial for us. Although, we have been training with our respective clubs we need these days before the tournament to build the coordination in the team."

"We will play against India in a practice match tomorrow and it is a good opportunity for us to see where we stand vis-a-vis a strong side like India," Marelna added.