SOJC: DHARMA LOOKS AHEAD

 

A year ago K. Dharmaraj was not given a ghost of a chance as he led his motley crew of youngsters into the first edition of the Sultan of Johor Cup. For standing in their way was teams that had rich tradition in world junior hockey as Australia and India had won the Junior World Cup titles.

 

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SULTAN JOHOR CUP UPDATES

PAKISTAN OUT FOR EXPERIENCE

While most teams in the 2nd Edition of the Sultan Johor Cup will be looking towards a podium finish, Pakistan are out to gain as much experience as they can in order to prepare a decent team for the 2013 Junior World Cup in New Delhi.

With five players in the national senior side, Pakistan coach Rana Mujahid Ali said that his team has somewhat been reduced in strength, but looking ahead is his main priority, thus a decent performance rather then a podium finish is what they are aiming for.

 

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FINAL FLING FOR MULDERS

It will be a final outing as coach of Jamilon Mulders who will lead the German squad in the 2nd edition of the Sultan of Johor Cup in Johor Baru that commences this Sunday.

For Mulders will take over the reins of the German national ladies squad for the next Olympic cycle that ends in Rio de Janeiro. And thus he will use all his knowledge to ensure that five times world junior champions Germany live up to their potential at the SOJC. Assisting him will be Andre Henning who is currently the HTCU coach and is largely tipped to take over Mulders position.

 

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13 VIE FOR UNDER 14 TITLE

Five times champions Kuala Lumpur were given a relatively easy draw for the MHC-NSC-MILO-MOE National Under 14 Championships that will be held in Seremban from November 16-25.

The draw for the championship was held in Seremban and present at the ceremony were Negeri Sembilan Hockey Association Deputy President Dato Abdul Halim Abdul Latif, Nestle Berhad Sports Sponsorship Manager Ng Ping Loong and Malaysian Hockey Confederation Competitions Committee Chairman M. Gobinathan.

"We are grateful to be given an opportunity to host the tournament and assure the teams that we will leave no stone unturned in order to make their stay here a memorable one," said Dato Halim.

"And I hope that our team will deliver their best in the tournament and try emerge as champions."

The city side have won the tournament since its inception in 2007 and will be gunning for their sixth title. They have been placed in Group A with the likes of Kelantan, Pahang, Johor, Perlis and Selangor.

Each participating team will receive a total sum of RM3,000 as subsidy with Nestle contributing RM2,000 and National Sports Council RM1,000.

Nestle also revealed the Milo Cup, which will be the challenge trophy as there has been no challenge trophy since the inception of the tournament in 2007.

Hosts Negri Sembilan are in Group B together with losing finalists Terengganu, Perak, Kedah, Sabah, Malacca and Penang.

The only state giving it a miss for the second consecutive year is Sarawak.

Coached by former juniors coach Balbir Singh, Negri exposed their team in the MHF-MILO-NSC Junior Hockey League Second Division and could reap dividends from the exposure.

Group A

Kuala Lumpur

Kelantan

Pahang

Johor

Perlis

Selangor

Group B

Terengganu

Perak

Kedah

Sabah

Malacca

Penang

Negri Sembilan

SENSE OF OPTIMISM

There was a glint in the eyes of national coach Paul Revington when he was asked as to what was the realistic target that his team should aim for in the Champions Challeng 1 in Argentina later this month.

While many would have set a safe target, the South African showed remarkable confidence as he stated that Malaysia, as will the other seven competing nations, will aim to win the title.

Revs, as he prefers to be called could have used the easy way out and just followed what MHC Senior Vice President Dato Nur Azmi Ahmad did, that is to say MHC has no specific target given that this was the former Ireland coach’s first outing with the team.

“As I have stated from the first day, my aim is to make Malaysia into a winning side. And by that we have to aim towards winning matches, show consistency and above all have the confidence that we have a team capable of taking the best,” said Revs when naming the 18 players that will carry the nations hopes in the second tier tournament.

“While I need time to get to know the players better, that will not be an excuse. The team picked is the best available given the fact that we also need to give due attention to the team that will play in the Sultan of Johor Cup.”

Three players who were in the cold storage since 2010 have been given a second lease of life. They are Ismail Abu, Chua Boon Huat and Mohd Amerullah Aziz. And Jivan Mohan who took time off to complete his training as a Police Inspector has also found a place in the 18.

The inclusion of six former players had drew some flak but Revington said that he stood by his decision.

“They have proven themselves in competition and training and I have no regrets whatsoever by including them as I believe they can play a major role in the team,” said Revington.

“There is an opportunity to blood the youngsters in the Asian Champions Trophy and we will sit down and decide on the composition of the team after the Champions Challenge.”

Conspicously missing are Hafifihafiz Hanafi and Izwan Firdaus,both of whom were in the team in Dublin who failed to make it to the London Olympics. And two other players making a return, Jiwa Mohan and Mohd Sallehin Abdul Ghani failed to secure a spot.

Nine of the players dropped from the final squad - Amir Farid Ahmad Fuzi, Mohammad Izad Hakimi Jamaluddin, Mohd Syamim Mohd Yusof, Mohd Azri Hassan, Mohd Firhan Ashaari, Mohd Ramadan Rosli, Mohd Noor Faeez Ibrahim, Norhizzat Sumantri, Shazril Irwan Nazli will be eligible to play in the Sultan of Johor Cup.

Ironically the decision to drop this players has given a welcome boos to Juniors coach K. Dharmaraj who will minus the likes of Faisal Saari, Mohd Fitri Saari and Faiz Helmi, have 15 players who won the Junior Asia Cup in May this year to pick his final 18 this Friday.

“No doubt the decision to leave some juniors out will strengthened our team and we are now confident of retaining our title,” said Dharma.

“But ultimately all players need to prove their worth and there are no assured places for anyone in the SOJC.”

The Squad:

Azlan Misron, Baljit Singh, Chua Boon Huat, Faiz Helmi Jali, Faizal Saari, Ismail Abu, Jivan Mohan, S. Kumar, Mohd Shukri Mutalib, Mohd Fitri Saari, Mohd Shahrun Nabil Abdullah, Mohd Amin Rahim, Mohd Amerullah Abdul Aziz, Mohd Marhan Mohd Jalil, Muhammad Razie Abdul Rahim, Nabil Fiqri Mohd Noor, Roslan Jamaluddin, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin.

                         

Players Dropped:

Jiwa Mohan, Mohd Sallehin Abdul Ghani, Hafifihafiz Hanafi, Izwan Firdaus, Shahrin Mohammad, Amir Farid Ahmad Fuzi, Mohammad Izad Hakimi Jamaluddin, Mohd Syamim Mohd Yusof, Mohd Azri Hassan, Mohd Firhan Ashaari, Mohd Ramadan Rosli, Mohd Noor Faeez Ibrahim, Norhizzat Sumantri, Shazril Irwan Nazli.

FIVE MALAYSIANS HEAD FOR HOCKEY INDIA LEAGUE

Asian All Star goalkeeper Kumar Subramaniam is among five members of the silver medal-winning 2010 Asian Games Malaysian hockey team who have signed up for the Hockey India League Players’ Auction to be held this month in the run up to the six franchise Hockey India League that will start on 5 January 2013.

The 33-year-old comes with vast international experience, having played 197 games that includes matches in three Asian Games, two Commonwealth Games and an FIH Champions Trophy tournament. Subramaniam was given the Asian All Star Award at the Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou, China and has been the Best Goalkeeper in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup four times.

The versatile Azlan Misron, 29, comes with even more experience – having played as many as 269 matches for Malaysia and scoring 40 goals. Like Subramaniam, he has taken part in three Asian Games, winning bronze in 2002 and silver in 2010, two Commonwealth Games and the FIH Champions Trophy in 2007.

The 29-year-old forward Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin is another player who was part of the Asian All Star team in 2010. With 46 goals in 167 matches for Malaysia, Tajuddin’s career has been highlighted by the silver medal in the Asian Games in 2010 and the bronze medal in the Asian Champions Trophy the same year.

The resolute defender Muhammad Raize, 25, is the third Asian All Star 2010 player who has signed up for the Hockey India League Players’ Auction. With 115 international matches under his belt, he also boasts of the Asian Games 2010 silver medal and the Asian Champions Trophy 2010 bronze medal dominating his showcase.

Just 21 years of age, Faizal Saari has already earned the reputation of being an exciting forward. With as many as 85 caps, he has been a part of the Malaysian team that won silver in the Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou a month after competing here in the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi. Top-scorer in the Malaysian Hockey League, he has also played in the Australian League.

TAKEN FOR A RIDE

Barely 24 hours after talking to the main stream media at the sidelines of the FIH Congress, it's President Leandro Negre did a complete U Turn.

For trumpeting that the 2018 World Cup will be expended to 24 teams, a fact that he stated repeatedly, the FIH Executive Board snubbed the President by expanding the World Cup to just 16 teams. And more ironically no Malaysian media were told about the decision, and the journalists got scooped by the international media in their own backyard as FIH released the statement below on their website.

But before that let's take a walk back to May 2012 where the same President had stated that it was to be a 16 team affair in 2018, and it was not possible for 16 teams in 2014,

Asian countries should listen carefully, FIH does not care what you think as they only think about Europe as evident by their refusal to have a 16 team World Cup in 2014, so use your votes wisely and vote in Tengku Abdullah in the EB as another Asian voice will serve its purpose well.

READ ON

The FIH Executive Board met before the official start of the FIH Congress in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. The major news to come out the meeting was the decision to increase the number of participating nations at the 2018 World Cup to 16 men’s and 16 women’s squads.

There was a lot of research that went into the proposal to increase the field at the World Cup with competition format and the ability to find a host nation all making an impact. In the end, after a lengthy decision process, the Executive Board decided that an increase to 16 teams from the current 12-team format would best suit the growth of hockey. The Board will look into the possibility of increasing the field to 24 teams for each gender for the 2022 edition of the World Cup.

“The 16-team format is the best decision for the sport,” said FIH President Leandro Negre. “We have so many quality teams in the top-20 of our World Ranking that it will still be quite competitive to earn a berth to the World Cup even with the expanded field. This is a testament to the global development of hockey.”

Of particular interest is the fact that the 2018 World Cup will continue to feature the same number of women’s and men’s entries.

“It was a simple decision from that aspect to increase the field to 16 teams for both genders,” said Negre. “We are fortunate in hockey that we have no gender gap and that our women’s field is every bit as competitive as the men’s side.”

The 2014 World Cup, to be held in The Hague, Netherlands, will still host a 12-team field for both the men and women. The new 16-team format will take effect in 2018.

OUT TO DEFEND TITLE

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. And that is exactly what the national juniors will feel as they commenced training in preparation for the 2nd edition of the Sultan Johor Cup that will be held from the 11-18 November at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Baru.

Coach K. Dharmaraj has named a 25 strong training squad 5 players on attachment with the team who are out to defend the title they won last year, edging Australia 3-2 in the final, thus giving Malaysia a dawn of hope in the future of hockey.

Seven players who are eligible to play in the Sultan Johor Cup but are currently training with the senior squad are not in the list for obvious reasons as Dharma will have to wait for national coach Paul Revington to name his Champions Challenge 1 squad before deciding on the final 18 for Johor.

The seven are Faiz Helmi Jali, Mohd Izad Hakimi Jamaluddin, Mohd Fitri Saari, Mohd Syamim Yusof, Mohd Azri Hassan, Muhammad Firhan Ashaari and Shazril Irwan Nazli and are eligible are eligible to play in the 2013 Junior World Cup.

In addition omitted from the team list is Amir Farid Ahmad Fuzi, Faizal Saari, Mohd Ramadhan Rosli, Muhd Noor Faeez Ibrahim, Norhizzat Sumantri though eligible to play in the SOJC will not be able to play in the 2013 Junior World Cup in India.

Thus the five will not be considered for the SOJC. With the exception of Faisal, the other four played in the SOJC last year.

Three players who were in the training squads of the past, Dangerous Lee, Mohd Nor Aqmal and Harmesh Singh have been given a second chance to prove themselves.

In addition Dharma has decided to name five players on attachment -  Muhamad Najib Abu Hassan, Muhammad Azwar Abd Rahman, Safeed bin Roslan, Muhammad Amirul Aideed, Nor Azrul Abdul Rahman. 

Six teams, namely Pakistan, Germany, Australia, India, New Zealand and hosts Malaysia will play in the SOJC this year.

The Training Squad

Mohd Zulhairi Hashim, Mohd Shahril Saabah, Muhammad Aslam Hanafiah, Shahrul Azadd, Auskarzie, Meor Mohd Azman, Mohd Fitri Ismail, Shazrul Imran Nazli, Shazril Irwan Nazli, Ibnu Fata Illah, Muhammad Haziq Samsul, Harmeet Singh, Muhd Ashraf Zulzali, Dangerous Lee, Kavin Kartik, Muhd Hafiz Zainol, Mohamad Hazrul Faiz Ahmad Sobri, Muhammad Firhan Ashari, Muhammad Hafizuddin Othman, Mohd Rashid Baharom, Muhammad Azrul Hasbullah, Muhammad Azri Hassan, Mohd Nor Aqmal,Sobirin Ilias, Harmesh Singh, Dedi Aryadi
 

Attachment

Muhamad Najib Abu Hassan, Muhammad Azwar Abd Rahman, Safeed bin Roslan, Muhammad Amirul Aideed, Nor Azrul Abdul Rahman.