KUALA LUMPUR: Disappointments and failures are part of sports, and the national junior team should take lessons from the just-concluded Sultan of Johor Cup (SoJC) to work on their weaknesses ahead of the Junior World Cup (JWC) in Kuala Lumpur next year.
Amin Rahim's squad showed glimpses of their potential but had many flaws as they ended up last in the SoJC on Sunday at Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru.
Fitness, penalty corner set-pieces and the goalkeeping department are the three major flaws that need fixing before the JWC in December next year.
In last year's JWC in Bhubaneswar, Malaysia finished eighth overall.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) has plans to send their junior team for international tournaments and tours.
Amin said his 18 SoJC players would be thrown back into the training pool of 45. And after an open selection, Amin will retain only 30 players to prepare for the JWC.
"We knew these players would face a torrid time at the SoJC as we did not have enough time to build their fitness.
"The team lost out as they had no consistency to play sustainable hockey for 60 minutes.
"At the SoJC, we conceded most of the goals in the third and fourth quarters, proving that my players could not sustain the pace.
"The plan is to build the fitness levels of our players when I trimmed down the squad to 30 for three months, placing tactical and skills on the back burner.
"I also want the players to have a winning attitude," he said.
MHC has planned at least 50 international matches for the junior team ahead of the JWC. The trainees will likely head to Australia before the end of the year for friendly matches.
"We are in talks with India and Australia to have triangular weeks before Christmas to kick-start our JWC journey," said Amin.
Meanwhile, India won the SoJC by edging Australia 5-4 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in the final, while Britain defeated Japan 3-1 for third place.
South Africa edged Malaysia 3-2 to finish fifth.