Athens beckons Lissek's gems

14/10/2002

THE only team sport that delivered a medal in Busan was hockey, and now
coach Paul Lissek has targeted to do well in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
The sport has finally started winning medals at the international level,
the first gold, after years of waiting, was delivered by the Under-18 boys
when they beat Germany 3-1 to clinch the FIH World Youth Festivaltitle in
Poznan, Poland in August.
There is no reason why the national team should not target a medal in
Athens, because the current batch of players are young and raring to go. A
push in the right direction will make gems out of them.
And with the Asian Games bronze, and more importantly beating Pakistan
after a 16-year wait, will bring positive changes to the sport if there is
a concerted effort.
First of all, Lissek should drop his passion of recalling players who
opted out of the national team when the country needed them. He has been
too accommodating and has been taken for a ride, by some.
He should only entertain those who genuinely gave the Asian Games a skip
because of studies.
Two names come to mind - Nor Azlan Bakar and Tajol Rosli.
The team still needs Nor Azlan because he has the distinction of being
among the best defenders in the world, and his presence could have seen a
better finish for Malaysia in the Games because skipper S. Kuhan and Chua
Boon Huat could have concentrated on the midfield and strikeforce, knowing
that they have Nor Azlan at the back.
Nor Azlan will be finishing his studies soon and, so will prolific
striker Tajol, who is said to be almost ready to fill in the vacuum left
by Mirnawan Nawawi but stayed out of the Games because he wanted to finish
his studies.
That should be the only two recalls that Lissek should make and, start
blooding those in the junior ranks.
After losing out to South Korea in the semi-finals, Lissek had said that
he is left with no options but to recall some of the players who quit the
team if Malaysia want to be a hockey powerhouse again, but the youngsters
in the team proved him wrong with a bronze finsih.
So he should forget about S. Shankar and Jiwa Mohan and the other
seniors who quit the sport after the Kuala Lumpur World Cup, and start
afresh, like what seven-time gold medallists Pakistan have pledged to do
after finsihing out of the top-three for the first time in the Asian
Games.
The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) should take some drastic measures
if they want to check the slide in hockey, like introducing a clause which
makes it impossible for players in their prime to quit the sport.
Redzuan Ponirin, Megat Azrafiq Megat Termizi, S. Kumar, Rodhanizam Mat
Radzi, Fairuz Ramli, and Nor Azlan Rahim still have many years to go
before they should call it a day.
And the German is keeping his fingers crossed that none of the players
from the bronze winning side will quit after the Asian Games.
And until a concerted effort is made to stop player-drain, he should be
resigned to the fact that he might have to continue blooding youngsters in
first grade tournaments.
(END)