No room for complacency after Sultan of Johor Cup win, Nor Saiful warns hockey juniors

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s junior hockey players have been warned not to let their Sultan of Johor Cup (SoJC) triumph breed complacency, with coach Nor Saiful Zaini Nasiruddin insisting there is still plenty of work to be done ahead of next year’s Junior World Cup. Despite guiding the team to their second SoJC title, Nor Saiful said the players must remain focused on improving their performance rather than becoming carried away by their success. Speaking to Scoop, he said the victory was an encouraging achievement but should serve as motivation for the squad to raise their standards further. “I am satisfied with the team’s overall performance, but we should not get too excited about having won the tournament. There is still a lot of room for improvement, and the players need to keep working hard. “We cannot afford to become complacent just because we have won the Sultan of Johor Cup. We must continue to improve and perform better in the tournaments ahead, especially with the Junior World Cup coming up next year,” he said. Malaysia secured the title after edging Pakistan 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw in the final at Taman Daya Stadium on Saturday. The victory marked Malaysia’s second championship since the annual tournament was introduced in 2011, with the team showing resilience to recover from a two-goal deficit and force the match into a shootout. Their route to the final was equally impressive, as Malaysia won all four of their round-robin matches, beating China 3-0, Japan 4-2, Pakistan 3-2 and Canada 6-1. However, despite their successful campaign, Malaysia still have areas to address, particularly their penalty corner execution. The team converted only nine of the 42 penalty corners awarded throughout the tournament, an area that will require attention as the coaching staff prepares the players for tougher challenges on the international stage. The squad, which is also being developed with a view to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, featured several promising performers during the tournament. Among those who stood out were goalkeeper Adib Amsyar Hanif, Nabil Irfan Yusof, Dhreeressh Gunaseelan, Adam Asyraf Johari, Gagandeep Singh, Naaveenesh Panicker, Safwan Salihe and Rahuul Fazrien Nazrien. The players will have little time to rest on their laurels, having travelled to Chennai, India, to compete in the Murugappa Gold Cup, which begins on Wednesday. Malaysia have been drawn in Group B alongside the Indian Navy, SAI NCOE-Bhopal, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd and the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu. The tournament will provide another opportunity for the young squad to gain valuable competitive experience and address the shortcomings identified during their SoJC campaign as they continue their preparations for next year’s Junior World Cup. - October 26, 2026 The post No room for complacency after Sultan of Johor Cup win, Nor Saiful warns hockey juniors appeared first on Scoop .