Fitness still a work in progress for speedy Tigers
KUALA LUMPUR: National men's hockey head coach Sarjit Singh admits that his players' fitness levels are still well below the standard required to match top Asian sides like South Korea, Japan, and China.
While the Speedy Tigers have shown steady improvement from match to match, Sarjit emphasised that his squad is still on a 'long journey' toward reaching their peak.
'It's still a long way because our fitness needs to be much, much better. It's good, but not good enough. Teams like South Korea, Japan, and China aren't just strong sides; their fitness levels are about three times higher than ours,' he said.
'If we can match that, I know our team will be heading in the right direction. Like I've said before, we need that experience. It's very important. The more matches these players get, the better they'll become,' he told reporters at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil last night.
Malaysia's hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the 2024–25 Men's FIH Hockey Nations Cup were dashed despite their 2–1 win over Japan.
Asked when the team realised there were still gaps in fitness, Sarjit said the issue had been identified early on, which is why the squad travelled to South Korea earlier this year to sharpen their game and gain valuable experience.
With a semi-final berth no longer in sight, Sarjit is now fully focused on guiding his team to a fifth-place finish and hopes fans will continue to rally behind the Speedy Tigers.
'That's why I regrouped the boys quickly, to get the focus back. We're now fully locked in on finishing fifth. We must get that fifth spot.
'We can't afford to be playing for seventh or eighth, that's not an option. South Africa will be tough, but if they play the way they've been playing, I don't see why we can't beat them,' he told reporters.
Meanwhile, defender Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan echoed his coach's sentiments, saying the team must now shift its attention to rebuilding its world ranking, which has recently slipped two spots to 15th.
'We want to push our ranking into the top 11 or 12. We don't want to slip any further. Since the semi-final target is no longer in reach, we're now fully focused on improving our world ranking.
'We know South Africa is ranked higher than us, so we have to beat them to collect those valuable ranking points,' he said.
Malaysia is set to play in the 5th–8th classification match and will take on South Africa this Friday.
The Speedy Tigers are determined to improve on their seventh-place finish at the 2023/2024 edition in Poland and end this campaign on a stronger note.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Speedy Tigers stay alive for fifth-place fight against Wales
Holding fort: Malaysia's Mujahir Abdu Rauf trying to stop South Africa's Andrew Hobson from marching forward. —CHAN TAK KONG/The Star BUKIT JALIL: National hockey team head coach Sarjit Singh was relieved to see his men pull off a 4-2 win against South Africa in the fifth to eighth classification match of the Nations Cup, but there are still some minor hitches to overcome. The Speedy Tigers will face Wales for the fifth spot today, and Sarjit reminded his players of what's at stake at the National Hockey Stadium. Billed as RM9.73 for the 1st month then RM13.90 thereafters. RM12.33/month RM8.63/month Billed as RM103.60 for the 1st year then RM148 thereafters. Free Trial For new subscribers only
The Sun
18 hours ago
- The Sun
Rachel Arnold reaches Asian Squash final after epic win
KUCHING: National squash ace Rachel Arnold emerged as Malaysia's sole representative to advance to the final of the 23rd Asian Individual Squash Championships after defeating fellow Malaysian Aifa Azman in the women's semi-final at the Sarawak Squash Centre, Petra Jaya, here today. The world No. 19 player overcame Aifa 11-9, 11-2, 8-11, 9-11, 12-10 in a fierce battle that lasted 56 minutes. This victory sees Rachel carrying the nation's hopes into the final, just one step away from clinching her maiden Asian title, after another Malaysian representative, Yee Xin Ying, failed to advance to the final in another semifinal. Yee was defeated by Hong Kong's Ho Tze Lok, who secured a 11-9, 5-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-6 victory in a match that lasted 45 minutes. Rachel is scheduled to face Ho in tomorrow's final to vie for the title of the 23rd edition of the championships. Following their semi-final losses, Yee and Aifa concluded their campaigns at the tournament by sharing third placing.
New Straits Times
18 hours ago
- New Straits Times
JDT prep for M-League with La Liga action
KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) will play newly promoted La Liga side, Levante UD, in a friendly in Spain next month. Under new head coach Xisco Munoz, the Malaysian champions will do their pre-season training abroad. "More friendly matches in Spain will be announced soon. Levante won the Segunda Division in the 2024-25 season to earn promotion to the Spanish top flight," JDT said on social media on Friday. Among the Levante stars is 21-year-old attacking midfielder Carlos Alvarez, who chalked up seven goals and 11 assists last season. His meteoric rise saw him sign a new deal with a release clause of €25 million (RM127 million). JDT, who aim to be an Asian power, plan to arrange for more matches in Spain, apart from training there.
