CHONBURI: Three new players – Najib Abu Hassan, Alfarico Lance Liau Jr, and Amanraj Singh have a chance to prove their worth in the hockey competition at the National Sports University starting on Thursday.
The trio are part of the 18-man squad in Thailand for the SEA Games, who finished fourth at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh last month.
Head coach Sarjit Singh wants the new players to step up.
“This is an opportunity for these players to compete and prove their capabilities, and I see them as having potential and being fully ready to perform on a major stage like the SEA Games,” said Sarjit.
“At this level, we now have teams who want to challenge us, and we respect all our opponents.
“We aren’t thinking about who isn’t a match for us, but instead are focused on our own standards and bringing home the gold,” said Sarjit.
World No. 13 Malaysia are far ahead of Myanmar (69th), Thailand (72nd), Indonesia (75th), and Singapore (81st).
All teams will compete in a group-stage format before the top four teams advance to the semi-finals.
Malaysian hockey have won 17 gold medals in the event since the biennial Games began in Kuala Lumpur in 1971.
Malaysia have only finished as runners-up once at the SEA Games, which came at the 1973 edition in Singapore.
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