Thursday, November 14, 2013

It's a clean slate for takraw boys eyeing SEA Games spot


Hanafiah Dollah (left) is one of the strong candidates to make the SEA Games team as he has managed to retain his place in the team for a longer period.
Hanafiah Dollah (left) is one of the strong candidates to make the SEA Games team as he has managed to retain his place in the team for a longer period.

PETALING JAYA: The slate has been wiped clean for the sepak takraw players and anyone looking to make the cut for the Myanmar SEA Games next month will have to prove themselves.
The team are currently in Langkawi undergoing centralised training until the end of the month and the players will have to fully utilise their time to impress the selectors.

The national team have toyed with various pairings during all three legs of the ISTAF SuperSeries this year, and national coach Jamaluddin Hassan said that the team list for Myanmar is still anyone’s guess as the players have been dialled back to zero.
Two of the players who looked to be strong candidates in making the team are killer Hanafiah Dolah and feeder Mohd Syazreen Qamar Salehan.

However, Jamaluddin warned that is doesn’t mean that they’re a shoo-in for the Games.
“We have been rotating the squad this year in the hope of finding our best combination. We’ve had a lot of players come in and go out this season. But Hanafiah and Syazreen have managed to retain their place for a longer period and they’ve made full use of that by showing us what they can offer the team,” said Jamaluddin.

“They showed good combination and understanding on court. Hanafiah especially displayed good skills and endurance during the tournament in Kota Kinabalu,” he added.
“But I think all the players need to realise that anything can happen, and that their place in the team is not guaranteed. We cannot afford to keep using the same players, so the drive to improve must be there,

“We have a few more weeks till the tournament and the boys need to work hard and prove themselves if they want to find themselves in the (starting) team.”
Besides the duo, also in the fray are tekong Noor Azman Abdul Hamid and killer Norshahruddin Mad Ghani.

Noor Azman had his first taste of international action during the third leg of the SuperSeries in Kota Kinabalu after being recalled to the national side in September. It was then that Malaysia fell to Thailand 2-1 in the final.

While talismatic captain Norshahruddin is fighting fit after picking up a knee injury during the 3-2 semi-final win over South Korea during the second leg of the SuperSeries in Bangkok in September.



The Star

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