KUALA LUMPUR: There was never any doubt that Malaysia will play in the final of the netball tournament in the Sea Games.
Malaysia had hammered Brunei 70-28 in the semi-finals earlier today.
The hosts will play Singapore on Sunday for the gold, after the defending champion beat Thailand 55-43 in the other semi-finals.
The results were quite predictable as competition is not that great among the Asean member countries, as only three others – Singapore, Thailand and Brunei – play netball actively.
Philippines, the next Games hosts, had to be persuaded to compete in the games, and naturally they were not well prepared.
In the four matches Philippines played, their total combined score was only 81 points.
Malaysian coach Tracey Robinson, an Australian, is betting on Malaysia to win the gold tomorrow but believes it will be a close encounter.
"I believe the girls are much better prepared than the last Games (where Malaysia lost to Singapore 46-43 in the final) and we would surely like the claim the gold.
"But I expect it to be a close match, and my girls need to keep their nerves and play their normal game.
"The crowd support at the venue, and support from all over Malaysia has simply been great and we would like to end in a golden flourish," said Tracey.
When asked about the poor interest in netball among the 10 Asean members, Tracey placed the blame squarely on infrastructure.
"I believe it has to do with infrastructure. From where I come from, every corner has a netball court and it is widely played in schools.
"But many Asean countries lack the facilities. Even in Malaysia, netball courts are far and wide.
"It's really an easy sport to play and hopefully, Philippines will be better prepared when they host the Games.
"They have two years to prepare and it can be done (form a decent team)," said Tracey.