PUTRAJAYA, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- This year, the national men's hockey team must deliver their "best results" in international tournaments, said national hockey legend Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi.
He said this year is the "harvest phase" for the Speedy Tigers, following the appointment of new coach Sarjit Singh and the selection of new players, marking the time for the national squad to "reap the rewards".
"Indeed, 2024 was a team-building phase, so this year, 2025, I am confident that the plans laid out will show results. Surely, we want to see the national hockey team perform better than last year.
"In terms of preparation, it's been a year, so what’s crucial now is to see improvements in all aspects - physical, strength, technical and playing cohesively as a team," he told reporters during the Milo Breakfast Day 2025 event here today.
In March last year, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) appointed Sarjit to replace Arul Selvaraj, whose contract ended in January 2024.
Sarjit had previously coached the Speedy Tigers squad from January 2007 to December 2008.
The Speedy Tigers ended their campaign in the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) at the bottom of the table after losing 2-4 to Japan in a penalty shootout during the fifth and sixth place playoff in Hulunbuir, China, last September.
Meanwhile, commenting on the SEA Games in Thailand this December, Mirnawan expressed optimism that the hockey team could sweep all gold medals via the field hockey squads, hockey 5s (five-a-side hockey), and the indoor hockey teams.
"I believe we can sweep all golds at the SEA Games," he said.
For the record, the national men's and women's field hockey teams secured gold medals at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, while the men’s indoor hockey squad lost to Indonesia, and the women’s indoor hockey squad were defeated by Thailand in their respective finals.
-- BERNAMA
