HOCKEY - Young players prove there is future for Malaysian hockey

From Star Sport

By S. RAMAGURU

IPOH: The decision to discard the seniors proved to be a wise one as seen from Malaysia's results in the just-concluded Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

Following the dismal performance in the Doha Asian Games in December, the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) took a bold move by disbanding the team.

Former national skipper Sarjit Singh was appointed the coach and he drafted most of the 2005 national juniors into the senior team. A new management team under the leadership of MHF deputy president Tunku Abdul Majid Idris was appointed.

The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup was their first test. There were a lot of sceptics but the young team came through with flying colours. There were eight teams in the competition and Malaysia finished second.

Young guns: Megat Azrafiq jumps in front of the Malaysian supporters after Malaysia beat India 2-1 in their semi-final match at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. – AP

However, it must be pointed out that Malaysia's good run was also helped by the decisions of the other teams to field their youngsters in their build-ups to next year's Beijing Olympics.

China, Pakistan and South Korea have already qualified for next year's Beijing Olympics and are now fiddling with their squads to come up with stronger teams.

The Malaysians surprisingly went through the group stage unbeaten. In the group stage, the Malaysians drew 2-2 with Pakistan, defeated Canada 2-0 and then edged South Korea 1-0.

In the semi-finals, they edged India 2-1 to make the final for the first time in 22 years.

Against reigning Olympic champions Australia in the final, the team’s inexperience was laid bare. The Malaysians lost 1-3 but the young team showed they have the potential to go far.

Sarjit admitted as much.

“I’m not just looking at the results. This performance in Ipoh has reaffirmed our faith in the young players. But it is not going to be a smooth ride. The 2008 Olympic qualification is the current target. The question is where do we go from here.

“It is not just the players but also our programme and whether we have to make any adjustments in our planning. I have said all along that this is just the beginning. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us and the players must be prepared to make sacrifices if they want to get better,” he said.

The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup proved to be a success with the fans streaming back to support the team. It may even be a good move to make the tournament a permanent feature in Ipoh. Credit must be given to the Perak HA president Datuk Abdul Rahim Mohamed Ariff and his team for the smooth running of the meet.