Monday, June 22, 2015

Nada: Roslan just as good...

GOALKEEPERS coach M. Nadarajan broke down before this interview, and openly wept for his best friend S. Kumar.
  The tragedy which befell Kumar, who lost his three-year old son days before the World League Semifinals, took a heavy toll of Nadarajan who is not only Kumar's coach, but best of mates who work in Tenaga Nasional.
  Wiping his tears, Nadarajan said: "If I could, I would pad up and play for Malaysia to realise Kumar's dream of playing in the Olympics."
  Kumar has played at every level in hockey, but the Olympics has escaped him thus far.
  "Looking forward, Roslan (Jamaluddin) is an experienced hand and is the only player in the current team to have played in the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
  "He also played one half in every match during the World League Round Two in Singapore, expect for the Japan semi-finals which Kumar played a full game.
  "So, he is still agile and while Kumar has some special skills, Roslan also has his specialities and so I say both are equal in their own ways," said Nadarajan.
  Junior World Cup goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman, 23, arrived yesterday as back-up to Roslan.
  When asked if Hafizuddin is ready for action: "He played well to take Malaysia into the semi-finals of the Junior World Cup and he also has experience playing at the Commonwealth Games. But here, he will be on standby in case of injury."