Vanderput is Singapore hockey's bright spark
7TH/8TH PLACING
SINGAPORE 4
MEXICO 3
The FIH Hockey World League Round 2 was meant to be a breakout tourney for Singapore's hockey men, an opportunity to show they could match more-fancied teams.
Instead, it served to highlight their shortcomings.
If there was a bright spark, it was the return of forward Ian Vanderput.
The 27-year-old scored twice against Mexico in Singapore's 4-3 win yesterday, ensuring that the men finished seventh - not wooden spoonists - in the eight-team tourney.
He was responsible for half of Singapore's eight goals in six games, including a stunner against Malaysia that proved to be the only moment of joy in a disastrous 16-1 loss.
The army officer is looking forward to June's South-east Asia (SEA) Games, with a team that are equipped with the right platform to improve.
"This was a good re-introduction to the sport," said Vanderput. "To be honest, this is the best Singapore team I've played in. There's a good energy among the boys, camaraderie - and that's a good thing to tap on, going forward."
ON HOLD
Vanderput had put hockey on hold in 2012, as academic and work commitments took centre-stage.
This time, Vanderput will put more into the sport.
"I'm an instructor at the Safti Military Institute, and I'll be speaking to my bosses about getting more time to train," he said.
"But, if that doesn't work out, I'll just have to manage my time better. It'll be fine."
Vanderput knows the size of the task ahead of him.
"The forwards haven't done very well in this tournament, and we just have to improve our work rate. We're doing too many fancy things and not getting in front of the opposing defence enough," he said.
"I'm a culprit too. We really have to do the simple things and do them right."
But the challenge is more than just getting the basics right.
"I've missed out a lot and, before Solly (Casoojee, Singapore head coach) came in, we were not exposed much to video analysis. Structure and a game plan were new terms," he said.
"These boys have been with Solly for a long time now, and they understand things a lot better than I do - I've got a steep learning curve ahead of me."
It was a similar gravity that Casoojee exhibited in his assessment of his charges' performance at the tourney.
"Overall, I'm not happy with the campaign; we have a lot of work to do," said the South African.
"It was one of those tournaments where everything was mediocre. Ian's goal against Malaysia was one instance (of brilliance) but, generally, there wasn't enough substance.
"This tournament is a good marker for us. It highlighted the areas we've got to work on and, honestly, I thought we were a fair bit ahead of what we actually showed.
"But we are still on track for the SEA Games."
The men will take a 10-day break, before working with visiting Dutch penalty-corner specialist Mink van der Weerden.
They will play a friendly against Brunei on Feb 9.
OTHER RESULTS
5th/6th placing:
- Bangladesh 1 Ukraine 3
3rd/4th placing:
- Japan 4 Oman 0
Final
- Malaysia 8 Poland 0
Time to rebuild our prowess
YOU CAN DO IT! Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam (second from far left) wants the Singapore team to narrow the gap on Malaysia. - TNP PHOTO: SHAMIR OSMAN
Malaysia showed why they are deserving winners of the World League Round 2 (WLR2) hockey tournament, when they routed Poland 8-0 in the final at Sengkang Stadium yesterday.
Even Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam - the Guest of Honour at the final - was impressed with what he saw.
"The Malaysians played exceptionally well... they are fit, their team work was good, and they took their chances very well," Mr Tharman told The New Paper.
HOPEFUL
"Singapore can host world-class events in hockey and, I hope that in time to come, the Singapore teams themselves will feature prominently."
The Republic's men's hockey team, ranked 37th in the world and 24 spots behind Malaysia, finished seventh out of eight teams, registering only one win - a 4-3 victory over Mexico in the 7th/8th classification match yesterday.
Mr Tharman challenged the Republic's men's and women's teams to narrow the gap on Causeway rivals Malaysia.
"Hockey used to be a very strong game in Singapore, in the '50s and '60s... and it is time to start rebuilding Singapore's prowess in hockey - there's no reason we can't get back there," he said.
"If the Malaysians can do it, so can we - with coaching, determination, and starting from primary schools and working our way up."
"Singapore can host world-class events in hockey and, I hope that in time to come, the Singapore teams themselves will feature prominently."
- Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam
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