Jiwa gets invitation to play in Aussie hockey league

Former international Jiwa Mohan has been invited to play for Northern Territory in the Australian Hockey League (AHL) in March.

The 27-year-old midfielder, who quit the national team after the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup last May, however, will have to attend trials on Jan 16 and 17 to earn a place in the team.

Jiwa, who has been working as a mechanical engineer in Perth since last June, said that it was an honour to him to be the first Malaysian player to get an invitation to play for a state team in the AHL.

“My good performance for Curtin Trinity Pirates Club in the Perth League last year has brought me an invitation from Northern Territory to attend trials,” said Jiwa in a telephone interview from Perth yesterday.

“I was playing in a league in Australia for the first time and I did extremely well, scoring 12 goals in 12 matches.

“I will do my best to impress the Northern Territory selectors in the trials.It’s not easy to win a place in a team for the AHL. They only pick the best players.”

The Penang-born Jiwa added that he would be playing again for Curtin Trinity Pirates Club in the Perth Indoor League, which begins on Monday.

“The duration of the indoor league is over two months before the AHL begins in March. Five states will play in the AHL,’’ said Jiwa, who used to travel from Perth almost every week to play for Sapura in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).

Jiwa, who has represented Sapura for seven consecutive years, was named the best player in the MHL in 2006 and he was the top scorer in 2007 with 23 goals.