KUALA LUMPUR: TNB Thunderbolts, usually a powerhouse in the Junior Hockey League, have been the punching bag in two Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) matches so far and are expected to be hammered out of shape this season.
But Thunderbolts' coaches Nor Saiful Zaini and Wan Roslan Wan Rahman are still smiling.
The reason?
Thunderbolts are a depleted team this season as they have released 70 per cent of their players to the Young Tigers as well as Tenaga Nasional. Form Two as well as pre-university players have been fielded in their place.
"Yes, we will be hammered further in this MHL but I'm not worried as it is a development team from Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School and Bukit Jalil Sports School.
"We are fielding form two players and other youngsters. Even form five boys have not been fielded because of the ongoing SPM examinations," said Wan Roslan today.
Earlier this week, Maybank hammered Thunderbolts 10-0 and then Tenaga Nasional mauled them 9-0. The other teams will also hit them hard in search of a better goal average.
Young Tigers, the Under-21 national team preparing for the KL Junior World Cup in December, received the most players from Thunderbolts and they started their campaign with a 2-0 win over Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, the inaugural Hockey 5s Carnival saw 128 boys and girls teams compete over two days in Under-11 and Under-15 categories with some skillful players coming to the fore.
RESULTS
MHL RESULTS:
Men: Young Tigers 2 UiTM HA-KPT 1.
Women: TLHT-MSNT 4 Mutiara Impian 0, Young Tigress 1 CS Hockey Team 0.
HOCKEY 5s carnival:
Boys Under-15
Final: BJSS Juniors 2 SSTMI 3; 3rd-4th: TBSS Seniors 5 SSN Predators 2.
Under-11:
Final: Franciscan Juniors 1 TUHT 3; 3rd-4th: Young Paulians 4 Best 3.
Girls Under-15:
Final: SSN THO Johor 2 SSTMI 3; 3rd-4th: GR Highlanders 1 PJCC Black Widows 0.
Under-11
Final: Silver 0 JDP Princess 3; 3rd-4th: BER 0 Neland 2.