Hockey Olympic Qualifier: Bumpy pitch makes Kuhan ineffective

GOOD news for Malaysia is that veteran S. Kuhan is back in peak form but don’t count on him scoring through penalty corners in the hockey Olympic Qualifier in Kakamigahara, Japan, starting on Saturday.

National coach Sarjit Singh, as expected, picked Kuhan as the main penalty corner flicker but the slippery and uneven conditions at the main pitch in Kakamigahara may make him ineffective.

Sarjit admitted this as after three training sessions, his players have yet to get their penalty corner variations on track.

“The players are getting their coordination all wrong in penalty corners. They are making basic mistakes due to the adverse conditions especially in the ’D’ area,” said Sarjit when contacted in Kakamigahara yesterday.

“As it will be tough to score from direct flicks or hits through penalty corners, extra effort will be made to get the players to work on set pieces.”
On why he had picked Kuhan as the main flicker, Sarjit said the defender has been impressive in training and friendly matches.

“His experience will be vital in scoring goals via penalty corners. The good news is that Kuhan has gotten back his touch and is 100 per cent fit for the Qualifier,” he said.

The Qualifier is Kuhan’s first major event since he was dropped from the national team after the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

Sarjit has also advised his players to take their chances well when opportunity arises to score from open play.

“I have instructed my players not to be focused on earning penalty corners but to take early shots in the ’D’ area for goals.”

Sarjit also witnesseddarkhorses Italy in a friendly against hosts Japan yesterday.

“I have never seen Italy play hockey in my life but from what I have seen, they are a very fit and young team. We cannot afford to take them lightly.”

Besides Malaysia, Japan and Italy, the other teams competing in the Qualifier are top seeds Germany, Poland and Switzerland.

Only the champions will qualify for Beijing.

FIXTURES — Saturday: Germany v Italy, Malaysia v Poland, Switzerland v Japan;

Sunday: Switzerland v Germany, Japan v Poland, Italy v Malaysia.

Tuesday: Poland v Switzerland, Japan v Italy, Germany v Malaysia;

April 10: Malaysia v Switzerland, Italy v Poland, Germany v Japan.

April 12: Poland v Germany, Japan v Malaysia, Switzerland v Italy;

April 13: Final and classifications.
Share