Samantha Harrison

Harrison was first selected for the Black Sticks Women in June 2009, along with ten other players as the Black Sticks squad was overhauled following its last place finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympics,[6] joining her older sister Charlotte, who had been in the team since October 2005. She played her first official match for the Black Sticks on 3 July 2009, against Argentina in her hometown of Whangarei, as part of a series of games against Argentina and China.[5]

Born in Whangarei to Steve and Zanna Harrison,[7] Samantha is the second of three sisters, between Charlotte and younger sister Anita.[8] Samantha attended Whangarei Girls' High School[9] before moving to Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland in Year 11 (Form 5).[8][10] As of August 2012, Harrison is studying psychology at the Auckland University of Technology on Auckland's North Shore.[8]

Despite Samantha being two years younger and three centimetres (1 in) taller than her sister Charlotte, once the two competed together for the Black Sticks, their similarities in appearance became apparent and were often mistaken for each other by commentators and match officials.[8]And it was in fact, not true when the rumours of her dying her hair brown were around.

At club level, Harrison is a member of the Southern Districts Hockey Club, based in Papatoetoe, Auckland.[11] In the National Hockey League, she is a member of the Auckland Fury women's team.[5][8]

In November 2012, Harrison was demoted from the Black Sticks national squad to the development squad for the 2013 year, after national coach Mark Hager felt she was suffering from burnout.[12] At the time, Harrison spent three months in Cambridge, England, coaching hockey at The Leys School.[13]In 2019 she moved to St Heliers primary school to teach her lovely Year 7 students.