KUALA LUMPUR – The Perak men’s hockey team is confident of securing a hat-trick of victories by winning the 2022 Tun Razak Cup that will be held between October 6 and 16 at the National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil.
Perak head coach S. Jagatheesan said after carefully studying the gameplay of their opponents, his charges are committed to bringing home the cup for the third year in a row.
“As a coach, of course, I would like to achieve our target of becoming a champion again.
“Although we have won many times before, we have never hit a hat-trick,” said Jagatheesan.
The Perak men’s squad had won 11 times in the past since 1987 but had never gotten to score a hat-trick.
The closest they have ever gotten to was when they won in 2013 and 2014, 2017 and 2018, and 2021 and 2022.
Jagatheesan added he attributed his confidence this year due to the players’ full commitment to the game.
“One thing about Perak is that opponents fear us because we have won many tournaments, thanks to a good set of players.
“This year, we have a combination of senior players, Sukma (Malaysia Games) players, and three junior players.
“I’m proud of my team because they commit 100% to the game and it has been easy to manage them,” he added.
The 60th Razak Cup will also see Singapore fielding their men’s and women’s teams to be amongst the 13 and nine teams competing respectively.
Perak team captain Syed Mohamad Syafiq Syed Cholan said, with Singapore’s participation, “it would be good for our sports development and bring more exposure to the local teams in the Razak Cup”.
In the men’s category, Perak leads Group A with Terengganu, Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian Armed Forces, Negeri Sembilan and Johor.
Pahang, Melaka, Royal Malaysian Police, Selangor, Penang, Perlis and Singapore will be in Group B.
Meanwhile, the women’s squad defending champion Kuala Lumpur vowed to retain their title.
Its team manager Datuk Hasry Sham Chasmen said his players are ready more than ever to face their rivals.
“Our dream is to retain our title from last year.
“With five new players on board, our team looked stronger than ever.
“Even with the participation from Singapore this year, it would not affect our performance.
In the women’s category, Kuala Lumpur leads Group A with Melaka, Selangor, and Terengganu while Pahang, Pulau Pinang, Negeri Sembilan, the Malaysian Armed Forces, and Singapore are in Group B.
For the record, this year is the 7th edition for the women’s division. Kuala Lumpur has won four times in the past since it began. – The Vibes, October 5, 2022
