Stephen: Japan tour was good exposure for youngsters
June 16, 2016Development Team turn Blades to rust
June 27, 2016Kuala Lumpur (21 June, 2016): The National Development Squad will play six matches against leading clubs in Queensland during their 10-day tour of Brisbane, Australia.
Goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman, who featured for the senior team in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in April, is among 18 players selected for the tour. They will be joined by defender Faiz Helmi Jali and Assistant coach Muhamad Amin Rahim in Brisbane on June 23.
National Development Team head coach, Wallace Tan, said: “This will be the first foreign tour for the development squad since it was assembled. This kind of exposure is important for the team as we prepare for future tournaments. Playing against strong opponents will help us gauge the performance of the players on a different platform.”
“From my understanding, Queensland will assemble several top players from various clubs and play against the development team. This is the kind of exposure we are looking for the players. It will be very demanding and challenging which is good for the boys,” he added.
The team had its last training session at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Monday. They will play the first friendly match in Brisbane on Thursday while the last fixture on the tour is on 30 June.
Hafizuddin, 24, said he is looking forward to playing in Brisbane after having missed out on the senior team tour of Japan recently.
“It is very understandable as we need to expose the other goalkeepers on the Japan tour. Playing against top teams is the only way everyone can gain experience. After the Azlan Shah Cup I have been competing in the Razak Cup,” said Hafizuddin.
The development squad will return from Brisbane on July 2.
The Squad: Muhammad Hafizuddin Othman, Muhamad Zaimi Mat Deris, Muhammad Aslam Mohamed Hanafiah, Harmesh Singh, Shazril Irwan Nazli, Muhammad Najmi Farizl Jazlan, Muhammad Firdaus Omar, Faiz Helmi Jali, Muhammad Amirol Aideed Mohd Arshad, Nik Muhammad Aiman Nik Rozemi, Izwan Firdaus Ahmad Tajuddin, Muhamad Hafiz Zainol, Syed Mohamad Syafiq Syed Cholan, Mohamad Ashran Hamsani, Luqman Nul Hakim Ahmad Shukran, Rafizul Ezry Mustafa, Norsyafiq Sumantri, Muhammad Hafiizhuddin Zaidi.
Coach: Erling Wallace Tan
Assistant Coach: Muhamad Amin Rahim
Video Analyst: Musrizal Musanin
Physiotherapist: Mohd Fauzan Sanusi
