Ex-national goalie Roslan out to play for keeps in his last Razak Cup

KUALA LUMPUR: Former national goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin will play for Perak for the last time in the Razak Cup – and he hopes to make it memorable.

Roslan, who turns 40 on Dec 18, wants younger players to take over.

Perak open their campaign against Terengganu today at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil and it will be Roslan’s 22nd appearance since his debut in 1996 in the country’s oldest hockey tournament.

“It will be my last outing for my home state in the tournament. I’ve contributed enough for the national team and also for Perak in domestic tournaments,” said Roslan.

The Perak-born player guided the Silver State to the Division One title by defeating Terengganu 3-2 in the final in his home town in Ipoh last year.

He has also featured for Kuala Lumpur in the Razak Cup.

“The time has come for me to focus on my job as the goalkeepers’ coach for the national women’s team,” said Roslan, who has been coaching the girls since 2016.

“I want to see younger and upcoming goalkeepers playing well in this tournament. Malaysia has produced a number of good goalkeepers and I hope to see more youngsters making their mark in the Razak Cup.”

Roslan was only 19 when he was named the best goalkeeper at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games. He was part of the team that finished second at the Games.

Being the oldest player in the tournament, Roslan is still fired up to help Perak win the title, which they last won in Kuantan in 2013.

“I’ll be playing alongside my younger brother and defender Mohd Izad (Hakimi Jamaluddin), who is back in action after suffering from a knee injury early this year,” said Roslan, who has donned national colours 249 times from 1998 to 2015.

“We have a solid team led by former national defender Azlan Misron and I believe that we have the depth to give the other five teams in Division One a strong challenge ,” said Roslan.

The other teams in Division One are Melaka, Penang, Johor and Kuala Lumpur.