Team lacked cohesiveness in hockey exit says coach

KUCHING: The Sarawak men’s hockey team’s exit before reaching the quarter final of the SUKMA Games was attributed to it being disorganised in play, said team manager Ali Rahman Hassan.

He was speaking to reporters after the end of the match between Sarawak and Perlis where the score ended 6-2 in favour of Perlis at Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Hockey stadium here on Sunday (August 18).

Ali said the team was all over the place and was not at their best in the first half, adding that they were only picked up momentum in the second half after scoring.

“But I am happy to see more improvement towards the players compare to last year, despite us losing the match,” he added.

He said improvements are needed for the team to compete particularly in upcoming tournaments such as the next SUKMA and players need more exposure outside of Sarawak.

In the meantime, team captain Addit Abdullah stated that the team have done their best and vows to improve in the near future.

“We would like to apologise to our supporters for not being able to reach quarterfinals for hockey. For the first and second quarter of the game the momentum is a bit slow.

“We also hope to train outside of Sarawak to further improve our performance. If there is a selection for the national squad, of course we will be there as well,” he added.

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and Assistant Chief De Mission for Hockey Sarawak Datuk Jefferson Jamit Unyat were among those present during the match.