Kookaburras fend off Black Sticks in Pro League win

Two goals in each half have allowed the Kookaburras to withstand a strong challenge from New Zealand to finish their FIH Pro League campaign with a 4-2 victory in Christchurch.

Backing up less than 24 hours after their shootout win over Great Britain, the Kookaburras led 2-1 at halftime courtesy of Jack Welch and Ky Willott.

Joel Rintala then scored his seventh goal in three games before a fortuitous last quarter strike from Aran Zalewski ensured the Kookaburras took eight points out of a possible 12 from their four matches.

For the fourth straight game, the Kookaburras had a fast start when Welch ghosted in at the near post to meet a well hit drive from Jake Harvie and expertly glance it in.

However, the lead lasted barely a minute as the Black Sticks equalised.

The Kookaburras' advantage was restored in the 19th minute when they scored one of the goals of the series. 

Harvie started it with a superbly controlled bring down from an aerial ball deep in his own half. 

He found Josh Beltz in the middle channel before sending a perfectly weighted pass to Rintala, who sent a tantalising squaring ball to Willott in the circle and he hammered the ball first time past Leon Hayward in the Black Sticks goal.

Black Sticks substitute goalkeeper George Enersen prevented Anand Gupte from scoring his maiden Kookaburras goal from a penalty corner but from the repeat set play Rintala would not be denied with another missile drag flick to make it 3-1.

New Zealand won their first penalty corner with two seconds left in the third quarter and they made it count as Hayden Phillips' deflection was illegally stopped on the line to see a penalty stroke awarded.

Simon Child calmly converted past Andrew Charter to set up a grandstand last quarter.

Two minutes into the last term Zalewski, snuffed out any thought of a Black Sticks comeback when his ball from inside the circle aimed towards Welch caused his marker David Brydone to turn the ball into his own net.

"We knew New Zealand would come at us and I think we held on pretty strongly so to score four goals and keep them to two was a great team effort," Kookaburras midfielder Lachlan Sharp said.

"It's a young team we have here so we have been building throughout these Pro League mini tournaments and hopefully we can continue it for the rest of the season."

The Kookaburras will return home ahead of their European leg of the FIH Pro League, starting in June.