KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) must wake up and better plan its annual tournament calendar.
The Razak Cup, which concluded on Saturday at Taman Daya Stadium, Johor Baru, saw Terengganu claim the men's title after edging hosts Johor 2-1, while the national women's junior squad, the Young Tigresses, defeated Selangor 2-1 to secure the women's crown.
For coach Lailin Abu Hassan, the Razak Cup outing, where the Young Tigresses won all seven matches, will benefit the squad ahead of next month's Junior Asia Cup (JAC) in Muscat, Oman.
The national men's junior squad could have gained similar benefits had they participated in the Razak Cup.
I. Vickneswaran's side did not compete, as they are preparing for the six-nation Sultan of Johor Cup (SoJC) in Johor Baru on Oct 19-26.
The Young Tigers will face Australia, India, Britain, New Zealand, and Japan in the SoJC.
Had the Razak Cup been scheduled earlier, it could have provided much-needed exposure for Vickneswaran's side, who have not played in a tournament since centralised training began in May.
Competing against state teams featuring national senior players would have given the team a vital opportunity to assess their strengths and weaknesses ahead of the SoJC.
Unfortunately, the only Razak Cup experience the national junior players had was watching the men's final from the Taman Daya Stadium stands on Saturday.
One wonders if that experience offered any inspiration.
For the record, the national juniors were Razak Cup champions in 1979 and runners-up in 2000, 2003, and 2004.
Former international Maninderjit Singh criticised the scheduling, stating the annual tournament calendar could have been better organised.
"That created chaos," said Maninderjit.
Meanwhile, Selangor, once giants of Malaysian hockey with nine Razak Cup titles, have lost their touch.
Their men's team finished 12th out of 14 in this year's Razak Cup, managing just one win from seven matches.
Their juniors also underperformed in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in August, finishing 11th out of 14.
Maninderjit, the former Selangor captain, expressed concern about the state's declining standard of hockey.
"Selangor hockey needs a total reboot," he added.
Negri Sembilan and Melaka, both strong contenders in the past, finished eighth and 11th, respectively, in this year's Razak Cup.
These state associations need to wake up and learn from Terengganu, who continue to produce top-quality players.