KUALA LUMPUR: Table toppers Young Tigress will face their biggest challenge on Wednesday when they square off against Negri Sembilan in the Women's Malaysia Hockey League (WMHL).
Tigress are the National Under-21 side and they are currently preparing for the Junior Asia Cup in Kakamigahara, Japan, on June 2-11.
They currently have full points after beating Mutiara Impian 6-0, CS Hockey Team 1-0 and Terengganu Ladies HT 2-1.
Negri, who have seven national players in their side, are second in the standings after a 1-1 draw in the Charity Shield against KPT-UniTen, a 13-0 blitzing of Mutiara Impian and a 5-0 win against CS Hockey Team.
Negri coach K. Rajan said they had played Tigress in a friendly before the WMHL started and he is expecting another tough encounter against the national outfit.
"We played a friendly against Tigress and it was a close 3-2 finish for Negri. So, I'm expecting a tough fight against a youthful side," said Rajan today.
"I'm not expecting an avalanche of goals (like against Mutiara and CS). We will be satisfied with three points."
While the national Under-21 side's participation in WMHL has deprived other clubs and states from selecting their players, Rajan believes it is still beneficial for all.
"The juniors (Tigress) need matches to prepare for Kakamiganara and playing in the WMHL will benefit them. And if they were not fielded, our league would only have five teams as no other club came forward this season.
"So, even though some teams lost players because an Under-21 team was fielded, in the long run, the country will benefit from this move," said Rajan.