Stop the unstoppable

Teams ready to go the extra mile to end Terengganu’s domination

KUALA LUMPUR: The new Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) season starts today, with eight Premier Division teams in action.

But the same question arises: can any team stop Terengganu from running away with a fourth double – Premier Division and TNB Cup (overall) titles?

Terengganu have dominated the local hockey scene for the last three years.

This year, they have declared their intention to win all four titles at stake. They already have one in the bag – the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Knockout Trophy.

Today, they could snatch the second when they take on Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) in the Charity Shield match at the Batu Buruk Hockey Stadium in Kuala Terengganu.

So, can these Premier Division regulars –

They have been unstoppable in the MHL for the last few years, but the time has come for other teams to rise and end their domination. Sharafuddin Abdullah

KLHC, Maybank, Tenaga Nasional and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) – stop the Terengganu juggernaut?

Or can these Premier Division debutants – TNB-Thunderbolt, Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)-KPT – do it?

One thing we do know is that these teams will do all they can to stop Terengganu from making a clean sweep of all four titles.

“We will go all out to stop them from winning the Charity Shield match,” declared KLHC assistant coach Mohd Harfizi Baharom.

Maybank team manager Mohd Sharafuddin Abdullah was just as optimistic.

“They have been unstoppable in the MHL for the last few years, but the time has come for other teams to rise and end their domination.

“As for us, I hope to see my team making steady progress with every match,” said Sharafuddin.

The Premier Division matches will be played on a home-and-away format and the final is on Feb 26.

There is also no increase in the total prize money – RM653,000 – despite the increase in the number of teams in the Premier Division from six to eight.