SABAH'S Granson Noel Goden happily returned to the Land Below the Wind after helping his state finish sixth in the Razak Cup in Bukit Jalil in September.
The 19-year-old thought it was the end of his hockey season.
However, he was wrong as national junior coach Wallace Tan included Granson in his 28-member training squad.
It was then too late for the player to make a dash back to Bukit Jalil.
Wallace, however, gave him a training schedule, which he has been following diligently back home in interior Tenom, a three-hour drive from Kota Kinabalu.
And Granson did not just enjoy Tenom's famous coffee for the last one month but also burned the calories as instructed.
Granson will likely retain his place in Wallace's squad, even though he did not attend a day of centralised training in Bukit Jalil.
"I left Kuala Lumpur after the Razak Cup and was delighted when I had earned a call-up. However, I could not return to KL to join the rest.
"But the coach gave me a training schedule, which I have been following for five days a week. I have no access to an artificial pitch in Tenom, but I do physical and other training sessions on a grassy area near my house," said Granson.
Granson has never played for the nation, not even the Sultan of Johor Cup, and he is excited about the possibility of breaking into the national junior team for the Junior Asia Cup.
"My dream is to play in the Junior Asia Cup and help Malaysia qualify for the (Junior) World Cup.
"That's why I will keep pushing myself to the limit in training, even though I am alone in Tenom while the rest are in KL.
"I hope I will be part of the next phase of training and will travel to KL to join my teammates when I get the chance."
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) will give an update on the junior team today.
Wallace, however, is not expected to drop any of his trainees as the Asian Hockey Federation have yet to finalise the new dates for the twice-postponed Junior Asia Cup.