Sunday March 15, 2009
Selectors look for work ethics, not talent, among U-16 players
KUALA LUMPUR: Talent will not be the main criteria of selection for a new batch of players for the national Under-16 squad.
National Under-16 coach K. Dharmaraj said that at the national tournament for the age-group, beginning today at the Seremban II Hockey Stadium, they would be looking for hardworking players and those who were eager to learn.
“There is no point picking a very talented player who is lazy. In our selection process, we will look at other assets, not just skills. I believe that skills can be developed but it will be an uphill task to do this with a player who does not want to work on it,” he said yesterday.
Dharmaraj added that they would pick 22 players from the tournament featuring 12 teams with Kuala Lumpur defending the title.
“I have seen most of the players before and earlier in January, we called up 26 for a friendly against the visiting Punjab Under-16 side,” he said.
“But those players cannot take their places for granted. This is a fresh selection process since I was appointed as coach in January.”
Besides Dharmaraj, the other coaches involved in the selection are Bukit Jalil Sports School’s S. Prakash, Nor Azlan Bakar and K. Gobinathan.
The national Under-16 squad will be geared towards the Youth Olympics, which will be held in Singapore next year. And they have to gain qualification as champions in the Under-16 Asia Cup in October.
“That is the target for this group of players. We also have a four-nation meet in Germany and it will be part of our preparations for the Asia Cup,” said Dharmaraj.
The tournament in Germany is scheduled for May 29-June 1 and Malaysia will be up against the hosts, Belgium and Holland.
Today's fixtures
Group A: Kelantan vs Perlis (8am), Pahang vs Perak (3pm), Kuala Lumpur vs Selangor (5pm) — Pitch II.
Group B: Johor vs Terengganu (8am), Kedah vs Singapore (3pm), Negri Sembilan vs Penang (5pm) — Pitch I.
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