HOCKEY: JUNIORS HEAD DOWN UNDER TO ADD BITE FOR TWO TOURNEYS

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 (Bernama) -- The national junior men’s hockey squad will go on a tour of Brisbane in Australia from July 24 to Aug 6 in preparation for two tournaments taking place this year, the annual Sultan of Johor Cup and the 2024 Junior Asia Cup in China.

Team manager S. Ganesan said he hoped that the players selected to participate in the Australian Brisbane Tour Series can make the most of the opportunity, besides gaining as much valuable experience as possible to strengthen their game for the future.

“After the player selection session that was held recently, the Brisbane Tour Series is the first step to prepare this team that will face two tournaments, namely the Sultan of Johor Cup in October and the Junior Asia Cup in December (to qualify for the 2025 Junior World Cup). I hope that every player who is trusted by the team will take this opportunity as best as possible.

“The players need to prove why they should remain in the team. The coaching line up will continue to evaluate each player to ensure that they can develop as quickly as possible as individuals and form the best team understanding with each other,” he said in a statement issued by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) today.

In the meantime, MHC said a total of six matches have been arranged, involving four matches against the Australian Under-21 national team and two matches against the Queensland Hockey Club at the Queensland state hockey centre.

According to the hockey governing body, the line-up of players guided by coach I. Vikneswaran will leave for Brisbane on Wednesday (July 24).

The following is the list of the 26 players of  the National Men's Junior Squad participating in the Brisbane Australia Tour Series from July 24 to Aug 6, 2024.

-- BERNAMA