The Young Tigress have been unpredictable in some matches and team manager Dato’ Haji Mohd Saiyuti Abd Samat has urged the players to focus in tomorrow’s TNB Women’s Tun Abdul Razak Cup semi-final encounter against Perak.
The Tigress held their own against some of the strongest teams at the Johor Hockey Stadium in Taman Daya but in the last three matches, were slightly different.
“They must bear in mind that they are a national team. Any team that plays against the national juniors would want to win,” said Dato Haji Saiyuti, who is also President of Perak Hockey Association, and a Vice-President in the Malaysian Hockey Confederation.
The second semi-final match will be between Selangor, the 2017, 2019, and 2022 champions, and Terengganu.
Torn between two lovers, Saiyuti says he has confidence in the Tigress to raise their game and go through this challenging phase. But, on another note, he would also be happy to see the Silver State get on their feet and give an applauding performance.
“This tournament is very important to the Tigress as it is a platform to give them every opportunity to prepare for the upcoming Junior Asia Cup. It is not easy to get good games against foreign teams and this is the best platform for them.”
“The tour of Wales helped them a lot in identifying the shortcomings in the team. Their fitness level is fine but the main concern is poor finishing,” he added.
Tigress head coach Lailin Abu Hassan said the team would need to hit the ‘refresh button’ and work hard against Perak – a team that has been playing exceptionally well.
“They know where they went wrong and the setbacks in the last few games. I want them to move forward without hiccups. I told the players I was not expecting miracles but I wanted to see a big improvement in our performance,” he said.
Meanwhile in today’s 5-6th placing match, Malacca trounced Penang 6-1 while in the 7-8th encounter Pahang defeated Kuala Lumpur 2-1 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) completed their journey in the tournament in the 10th and last position. Johor defeated ATM 2-1.