Perhaps you really can teach an old dog new tricks.
One of the most seasoned campaigners on the planet, Barry Middleton kicks off his fourth Hockey World Cup campaign with England on Friday morning in Bhubaneswar, India.
In December 2017, the 34-year-old became just the fifth man to rack up 400 international caps – he currently finds himself chasing down Dutch two-time Olympic champion Teun de Nooijer’s world-record haul of 453.
And at this World Cup, Middleton and England are looking to change tack and show off the fruits of their labours under head coach Danny Kerry, who masterminded the Great Britain women’s side’s show-stopping gold medal at Rio 2016 and took charge of both GB and England’s men’s teams back in August.
“At my kind of age, change is a good thing because you can become stale or stuck in your ways,” said Middleton, who won Commonwealth Games bronze with England on the Gold Coast earlier this year and has also represented GB at four successive Olympic Games.
“Having something different is a good challenge and it pushes you to grow again.
“I think anyone who’s in sport or business – any job, really – gets better by taking on new challenges and the best people can appreciate new things and learn new skills, and always move forward.
“I think the way hockey is in general, it is always evolving and moving on, and you have to change.
“The way that we play is very different to the way that we’ve played before, so that’s been one of the big challenges; players having to learn a lot of new things, new skills that are needed within the tactical side of it.
“He [Kerry] has brought in a new skillset that people need and I think it’s still an ongoing process.
“The World Cup is the big thing we’re aiming for now but as a coaching group, we’re still looking at this as a long-term project through to Tokyo and beyond with this group.”
The proof will be in the pudding as England, ranked seventh in the world, bid to improve upon back-to-back fourth-placed World Cup finishes.
The class of 1986, runners-up in London that year, and skippered by eventual Olympic champion Richard Dodds, remain the gold the standard and 32 years later, England find themselves in Pool B pitted against world champions Australia, rivals Ireland and China, who they face in their opening match on Friday (1.30pm UK time).
Could Bhubaneswar, a city where the Doncaster native has played club hockey for the Ranchi Rays, be the start of Middleton’s Indian summer?
“When you are getting older, these are the ones that really get you going,” he said.
“These are the ones where you find out where you’re really at and it teaches people a lot going forward.
“Whatever the results are here, this team grows from what happens and dealing with those pressure situations that a few of the guys haven’t been in yet.
“This is quite a young team and a new team coming together, and also a coach that’s not been there for too long.
“This is really – and it sounds cliched – about focussing on us and we will go home with no regrets if we perform how we want to perform, and put the things in place that we speak about and pride ourselves on.
“Beyond that, it is about trying not to get too caught up in other teams and other results.”
England’s other pool matches against Australia and Ireland take place on December 4 and 7, respectively. Sportsbeat 2018