AUSTRALIA rallied from a 1-1 draw with host Malaysia to turn the tables on
defending champions Great Britain on Tuesday, to secure an important
three points in the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Johor Hockey Stadium.
The Burras held the upper hand in the first quarter and went ahead 1-0,
courtesy of a Duncan Jackson field goal seconds into the final hooter. Ian
Grobbelaar extended the lead to 2-0 in the 52 nd minute via a penalty corner
conversion.
With seven points in the bag, the Australians maintained their position at
the top three in the standings. Jay Stacy’s Burras will go into
Great Britain, the four-time champions, were left licking their wounds
following two defeats in three matches. They went down 2-3 against India
in the tournament’s opening match last Saturday and today.
In the 2024 final, Great Britain defeated Australia 3-2 to claim their fourth
SOJC title.
“I think the first half was quite good. The third quarter, not so much, and
then, they changed their structure a little bit and we struggled a little bit
then we got on top again,” said Stacy.
“There was a bit momentum swing. But the boys defended well. They
fought hard and then we got the result in the end. But I am not 100 percent
pleased with all of the play. There’s still much to learn from this match, and
we need to be a bit better than that when we play India tomorrow night,”
added Stacy, who participated in four Summer Olympics, starting in 1988.
He acknowledged that the clash against India tomorrow will be one of high
intensity. Australia last won the SOJC trophy in 2016 and 2017.
“We are still trying and trying to win the title. We’re developing players.
There are some players at home who have got exams and things and all of
that. Some at home, so we’re still looking for our best-balanced team. And
this is a good way to do that, but we still believe we have a team here good
enough to challenge for the title. That is our plan,” added Stacy.
