KUALA LUMUPUR: Defending champions Perak will parade a new coach and mostly new players but are still confident of retaining the men's Razak Cup.
Shukor Adam will replace Roslan Jamaluddin as Perak coach as the latter is on assignment with the national side for the Junior World Cup in India on Nov 24-Dec 5. The Razak Cup will be on Nov 10-20 at the National Hockey Stadium.
Haziq Samsul, who scored a hat-trick to help Perak win the title last season, will not be with them this time.
"Perak will be relying on 80 per cent junior players who form the core of our Malaysia Games squad. We want to develop these players for the future of the state as well as country," said Shukor.
"We will not have some of the seasoned players who helped us win the title last season, but still I am confident that my young players can rise to the occasion and defend their title."
Perak won their 10th Razak Cup crown last year by beating Terengganu 4-2 while in the women's tournament, Pahang upstaged defending champions Selangor 2-1 in the final.
"Our Malaysia Games team have been together in training (online) even during the MCO, and so they are in a good shape.
"However, they still need to form better teamwork by playing some friendlies, either with other states or clubsides to get their rhythm.
"We have decided to bank on more youth, because if we keep relying on seasoned players, other states will soon overtake us in the Razak Cup as well as Malaysia Games," said Shukor.
Razak Cup
Men
Group A: Perak, Sabah, Police, Selangor
Group B: Terengganu, Perlis, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Kedah
Group C: Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, Penang, Armed Forces, Kelantan
Women
Group A: Pahang, Negri, Melaka, Sabah
Group B: Selangor, Police, Perak, Kedah
Group C: Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Terengganu, Sarawak