The national hockey squad is expected to bounce back from their bland performance last weekend and produce a much better performance in their second match against top gun Australia in Perth today.
Stephen Van Huizen’s men started their three-match series on Saturday with a shocking 1-7 defeat to the Kookaburas, which was by far the worst defeat they have ever encountered in the Oceania Tour. The national contingent previously had a six-match test in New Zealand where they played four matches against the Kiwis and two against South Korea.
Technical director of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC), Terry Walsh claimed that the defeat was exasperating but it was a great learning experience for the team.
“There were a lot of things that we learnt from the last 60 minutes. The players need to quickly recover and have confidence in competing against other teams around the world,” said Walsh as quoted from Berita Harian.
“We are still in the process of shaping the team and such results is definitely disappointing but it made us realize our weaknesses.”
Despite the shortfall, Walsh thought that Australia deserved their victory.
“Their performance was very good. We only had about six to seven minutes of possession and we’re a few steps behind them.”
The Oceania Tour will serve as a platform for the national squad to prepare for the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh next month.
Other posts by Michelle Liew
