International and Sapura stalwart Marhan ruled out for six months

KUALA LUMPUR: Sapura skipper and national midfielder Mohd Marhan Mohd Jalil (pic) will be out for six months after fracturing his left leg during the second leg of their TNB Cup semi-final against Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) on Friday.

Sapura lost the second-leg clash 3-1 but the aggregate score was tied at 4-4. Sapura then went through 4-2 in the penalty shootout.

The influential player will miss the TNB Cup final against Terengganu today but, more importantly, he will also miss the national team’s next two international assignments.

The national team will leave for Perth tomorrow morning to feature in the Australian Hockey League from Sept 29-Oct 9.

Then, in October, he will miss out on the Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan.

It’s a big blow to Marhan after leading Sapura to their first final in 10 years.

Sapura coach Yahya Atan said that a medical examination conducted at the KL Pantai Hospital confirmed the injury and that doctors have said that he (Marhan) will be out for at least six months.

“It is a blow to us for the final, but we’ll manage it ... we have other capable midfielders. Still, we’ll miss his experience.

“Terengganu are a good side, with experience in all departments. We have to be ready,” said Yahya.

Sapura last made the TNB Cup final in 2006, when they won the overall title for a second time. They were double champions in 2005.

Though Sapura will start as the underdogs against Terengganu, Yahya is counting on his players’ determination to help overcome the favourites.

“The key is for the players to follow the instructions given. In the second leg of the semi-finals, we almost did not make it. The players were relaxed and did not follow the plan. Luckily, they managed to scrape through,” said Yahya, who had coached MBPJ to a double in 1997.

“I know that we will be facing a team who are on a high, but we’ve beaten them before and we must draw from that experience. It’s crucial that we keep the mistakes to a minimum and not give away penalty corners unnecessarily.

“They have good flickers and equally good strikers. We have to keep the pressure on them and try and get an early goal.”