Johor can't deny KL the title

31/10/2002

THE 40th Razak Cup final at the National Hockey Stadium in Kuala Lumpur
tonight looks very much a predictable affair.
Johor will try their best, but it will be almost impossible for them to
deny Kuala Lumpur the title.
One week before the start of the Razak Cup, everyone knew what the
outcome would be with Kuala Lumpur having the cream of Malaysian hockey
while the rest of the States were left with a small pool of youngsters to
select from.
That is why some of the States were forced to pick players who had
retired some 10 years ago.
But Johor's selection of veterans Lim Chiow Chuan, Arul Selvaraj and
Sarjit Singh, alongside national players Saiful Azli and Chairil Anwar
paid dividends as the combination of old and new made them into a balanced
side which helped power them into the final with relative ease.
But some of the other States, like Selangor, picked the wrong ageing
stars and they paid heavily.
The Razak Cup is no longer a State-based tournament because the
Malaysian Hockey Federation Competitions Committee has allowed it to
become a rojak tournament - players can represent any State as long as
they have a release letter.
The Competitions Committee chairman is still Datuk Jalil Abdul Majid
till the new committee heads are announced after the Nov 9 council
meeting.
The Competitions Committee can do the Razak Cup a favour by proposing to
the MHF council that players must return to their States for the Razak
Cup. Once the MHF council endorses this, the States will have a better
wider pool of players to select from and the outcome will not be as
predictable as the 40th Edition.
The only silver lining in the Razak Cup is the presence of the National
Juniors.
The Juniors started with a bang when they beat Pahang, also a relatively
young side, 4-1 but after that win they met robust sides in Armed Forces
(2-2), Kedah (2-2) and Johor (1-1).
The most exciting match of this Razak Cup was between the Juniors and
Kuala Lumpur, where the Juniors, at one stage, were almost set to upstage
their more illustrious opponents.
From the results, a pattern can be seen where the Juniors played more
confidently against teams which they knew were not too robust, but were
intimidated by sides which pushed and shoved them into a corner.
"The Juniors will have to learn how to play against robust sides because
in international hockey some teams will use intimidating tactics to win.
We will work to improve in that department," said Juniors coach Stephen
van Huizen.
The most improved player in the Juniors side is Jivan Mohan who had a
pathetic outing in the 2001 Junior World Cup in Tasmania but has matured
tremendously as a player since.
Jivan plays in midfield and his passes are more accurate now and he
never fails to find a team-mate.
Goalkeepres Khairul Nizam and Mohamed Hanafi Hassan have also been
playing well but they lack confidence in 50-50 situations.
Skipper Azlan Misron, the only capped player in the team, has shown
maturity but some of his good moves went to waste as his team-mates were
slow to read his game.
The juniors have the skill to beat Perak and finish third today - if
they play bravely.
Classification matches: 5th-6th - Pahang 3 Negri Sembilan 2 (golden
goal); 7th-8th: Selangor 2 Malacca 1; 9th-10th: Penang 6 Forces 1; 11th:
Kedah.
Today - 3rd-4th: National Juniors v Perak (5.30pm).
Final: Kuala Lumpur v Johor (8pm). Both matches at the National Hockey
Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
(END)