Frontliners Spartan vs. Innebandy! Co.
7th July 2009, Tuesday
3-2 (3-0, 0-2)
At the other end, we caught up with Jason Chan Ming Hwee (MH) of team Frontliners for the interview:
BBF: Coming out against a team like Innebandy is never easy. Apparently you gambled once again? What was the game plan this time around?
MH: We gambled, because our coach loves to gamble. Innebandy has beaten us before during the pre-league friendlies, 8-3. The gameplan was the same, line one, defensive, line two getting out there for the goals. True enough Line two scored all the goals. Spartans play in a very simple and straight forward play reason being, were not so good technically. :)
BBF: You guys pushed really hard in the first period but then played more conservative in the second half with a tighter defense. However, you guys still let in two goals. What happened? Was that a case of bad strategy?
MH: I think people assume our strategy was to play aggressive first half then lie low in the second half. Hmmm... not true. We "tried" to play hard all the time. BUT the general fitness of the team got PUNCTURED in the second half. So relatively, it looks like defence was tighter because we played more in our half. Innebandy pushed harder the second half, knowing that they've got nothing to lose with 3 goals down. With Deswyn organising the attacks, we hunted him down every step he took. Anybody running against him will always get tired because you know he's fit like a bull. Good call by their coach. They capitalized on our slowdown. If the game was to be played another period, we would have lost to Innebandy. It was all "mental" at the end of the day.
I think that the 2 goals we conceded were not due to wrong strategy, but small petty mistakes which proved to be costly. First one, because Kuan Yang (mental tak kuat) went out of the court at the wrong time. Second goal was due to Steven's assumption (terlebih relax) that there's no one around when suddenly Deswyn appeared to score.
BBF: What do you think was Innebandy's weakness and how did you capitalize on those weakness?
MH: Innebandy needs time to build up in their attacks. In the past, they've always played in a very organized manner - quick passes, well coordinated game play. However, this style is only played within their stronger line.
They use to have Deswyn, being the centre, Sam being the forward and Nick being the marksman. That trinity no longer exist when Nick could no longer play due to injury. Deswyn can supply the ball, but unfortunately, the finishing was lacking.
Lack of defensive strength, made Sam a little more conservative than his usual style. Perhaps, due to that , he made less run ups than during the pre-league friendly match.
Innebandy is generally not a physical team. Side by side, Spartans are more physical. That's also why the game was faster because there were not many fouls.
We were gambling from the start. So I wouldn't say we capitalize on anything. Its a gamble. That's it.
BBF: Frontliners have been cruising in this league and have definitely surprised all of us. What do you expect of the upcoming matches in hand?
MH: Surprised all of us? WE ARE ALSO SHOCKED.
Borak-borak has already written us off since day one. Our pre-league games have sold us off. Team had low morale. Technically we're inferior to the other teams around. Coach had a headache with lack of players.
Because of all these, we didn't have expectations from the start. Our challenge was about getting the team together, work together as one, support one another, and get ourselves super highly motivated. That was the challenge.
When we stop thinking about winning that's when we play better. We just want to play like SPARTANS. Doesn't matter who's the opponent, we will play them hard.
So what's the expectations? Well, we don't really care because we just want to play our game and develop our new and younger ones.
Next few games will be tough because we will lose 2 important players but we will try our best to win every game and take it a step at a time. All opponents in division 1 are strong or else they wouldn't be here.
BBF: Lastly, who would you vote as the man of the match for Innebandy and why?
MH: I would give Deswyn Wan for the man of the match. Do I even need to explain???
So at the end of the day, it was really a close fight, it all came down to 'mental'.
Frontliners still at their peak while Innebendy faced their first loss of the league.
Seems to us that Frontliners is messing up the league table.
But they sure won't mind, and will be glad to be doing so until the league ends!
Bravo to team Spartans!
Borak Says:
Carrard:
It was Spartans who raced into a shock 3-0 lead very early on, making it a nightmare opening for Innebandy.
There was good distribution and penetration in attack, but when the ball came into their own half, the players kept backing and backing, giving Spartans seemingly all the time in the world to waltz through their static line. Not enough cover from the center in defence, and no cutting edge nor creativity, if compared to Spartans’ direct approach.
The two goals conceded by Spartans were schoolboy errors by two of their most experienced players. Credit is given where credit is due, and both teams deserve equal credit: Spartans for extending their fairytale run (they do seem to have a lot of those..), Innebandy for never giving up.
However, this 3-2 scoreline is like a pretty cloth covering a whole lot of questions and shortcomings.
For Innebandy, it just takes an off-form Deswyn and Sam for the team to look very ordinary. It will be interesting to see how they can rebound against a flying Ztec. Win, and the title race stays wide open. Lose and all but hand the title to Ztec. All of Penang will be waiting for this match with bated breath, I can tell you.
For Spartans, how long can this crazy streak last? Will they stumble against winless UniHawks, like last year and forsake all chances of getting a medal? If they win, it will most certainly be an entertaining final round in this league!
Jose:
7th July 2009, Tuesday
3-2 (3-0, 0-2)
0255 1-0 Kenny Ng
1315 2-0 Kenny Ng
1735 3-0 Kew Pei Li (Nicholas Teoh)
1400 3-1 Deswyn Wan (Sam Teoh)
1938 3-2 Deswyn Wan
The cursed match.
Innebendy has never beaten Frontliners before.
And so the end of a gruesome fight between the both, the curse stood unshaken, unbreakable.
The mighty Spartans continued their victorious endeavour yet again, toppling the Inne-credibles. Surely, they must be on a high by now. Let's see what both managers have to say about the match.
BBF interviewed Sam Teoh (ST) of team Innebendy:
BBF: Frontliners managed to steal a point when they played against Ztec. They have definitely surprise all of us in the league. Were you more cautious in your approach against Frontliners? What was the strategy?
ST: Not really. Because I believe in my team that we are capable to play them. Besides, most of us played floorball longer than most of the Spartans. The strategy was to play like how we played in the previous two matches. But I guess this strategy wasn't good enough as we were down 3 goals in the first period.
BBF: Your defensive line has been a major issue in this league. Besides inexperience, what else do you think contributed to the goals scored by Frontliners against Innebandy?
ST: Our defensive line played the tightest so far compared to all the previous games. However Spartans was able to capitalised on their strength which gave them the lead. We were not playing hard enough against them on the 1st period.
BBF: There's a huge dependency from your team mates on Deswyn and yourself. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? How does this affect the team as whole?
ST: To people the team seems to rely on both of us more, but to me all the Innebandiens played to their best potential. The score board doesn't only show both of our names. Captain E, Valerie, Nic, Andrew, Darien and Rooban made it as well. Just because we are the ones creating the opportunity doesn't mean that they are not playing their role well. All of the teams in Div 1 are also relying on their national capped players. If it affects my team, it will affect every clubs and the whole Div 1 as well.
BBF: Your first loss of the league. How did the team take it? As a coach, what is the one thing you would want your team to improve to play against a team like Frontliners?
ST: The team wasn't shaken by the defeat at all I would say. As long as Innebandy!Co played together and tight as a team, it will not be a defeat to us at all. It was a good game of Floorball after all. In my opinion it wasn't hard to play against Frontliners at all. We made 2 easy goals against them on the 2nd period. However they managed to maintain the lead over us until the end of the game. As a coach, I would like to see my team to improve on their ball possession during a game playing against team like Frontliners.
BBF: Lastly, who would you vote as the man of the match for Frontliners and why?
ST: Kenny Ng. He is just full of energy.
1315 2-0 Kenny Ng
1735 3-0 Kew Pei Li (Nicholas Teoh)
1400 3-1 Deswyn Wan (Sam Teoh)
1938 3-2 Deswyn Wan
The cursed match.
Innebendy has never beaten Frontliners before.
And so the end of a gruesome fight between the both, the curse stood unshaken, unbreakable.
The mighty Spartans continued their victorious endeavour yet again, toppling the Inne-credibles. Surely, they must be on a high by now. Let's see what both managers have to say about the match.
BBF interviewed Sam Teoh (ST) of team Innebendy:
BBF: Frontliners managed to steal a point when they played against Ztec. They have definitely surprise all of us in the league. Were you more cautious in your approach against Frontliners? What was the strategy?
ST: Not really. Because I believe in my team that we are capable to play them. Besides, most of us played floorball longer than most of the Spartans. The strategy was to play like how we played in the previous two matches. But I guess this strategy wasn't good enough as we were down 3 goals in the first period.
BBF: Your defensive line has been a major issue in this league. Besides inexperience, what else do you think contributed to the goals scored by Frontliners against Innebandy?
ST: Our defensive line played the tightest so far compared to all the previous games. However Spartans was able to capitalised on their strength which gave them the lead. We were not playing hard enough against them on the 1st period.
BBF: There's a huge dependency from your team mates on Deswyn and yourself. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? How does this affect the team as whole?
ST: To people the team seems to rely on both of us more, but to me all the Innebandiens played to their best potential. The score board doesn't only show both of our names. Captain E, Valerie, Nic, Andrew, Darien and Rooban made it as well. Just because we are the ones creating the opportunity doesn't mean that they are not playing their role well. All of the teams in Div 1 are also relying on their national capped players. If it affects my team, it will affect every clubs and the whole Div 1 as well.
BBF: Your first loss of the league. How did the team take it? As a coach, what is the one thing you would want your team to improve to play against a team like Frontliners?
ST: The team wasn't shaken by the defeat at all I would say. As long as Innebandy!Co played together and tight as a team, it will not be a defeat to us at all. It was a good game of Floorball after all. In my opinion it wasn't hard to play against Frontliners at all. We made 2 easy goals against them on the 2nd period. However they managed to maintain the lead over us until the end of the game. As a coach, I would like to see my team to improve on their ball possession during a game playing against team like Frontliners.
BBF: Lastly, who would you vote as the man of the match for Frontliners and why?
ST: Kenny Ng. He is just full of energy.
At the other end, we caught up with Jason Chan Ming Hwee (MH) of team Frontliners for the interview:
BBF: Coming out against a team like Innebandy is never easy. Apparently you gambled once again? What was the game plan this time around?
MH: We gambled, because our coach loves to gamble. Innebandy has beaten us before during the pre-league friendlies, 8-3. The gameplan was the same, line one, defensive, line two getting out there for the goals. True enough Line two scored all the goals. Spartans play in a very simple and straight forward play reason being, were not so good technically. :)
BBF: You guys pushed really hard in the first period but then played more conservative in the second half with a tighter defense. However, you guys still let in two goals. What happened? Was that a case of bad strategy?
MH: I think people assume our strategy was to play aggressive first half then lie low in the second half. Hmmm... not true. We "tried" to play hard all the time. BUT the general fitness of the team got PUNCTURED in the second half. So relatively, it looks like defence was tighter because we played more in our half. Innebandy pushed harder the second half, knowing that they've got nothing to lose with 3 goals down. With Deswyn organising the attacks, we hunted him down every step he took. Anybody running against him will always get tired because you know he's fit like a bull. Good call by their coach. They capitalized on our slowdown. If the game was to be played another period, we would have lost to Innebandy. It was all "mental" at the end of the day.
I think that the 2 goals we conceded were not due to wrong strategy, but small petty mistakes which proved to be costly. First one, because Kuan Yang (mental tak kuat) went out of the court at the wrong time. Second goal was due to Steven's assumption (terlebih relax) that there's no one around when suddenly Deswyn appeared to score.
BBF: What do you think was Innebandy's weakness and how did you capitalize on those weakness?
MH: Innebandy needs time to build up in their attacks. In the past, they've always played in a very organized manner - quick passes, well coordinated game play. However, this style is only played within their stronger line.
They use to have Deswyn, being the centre, Sam being the forward and Nick being the marksman. That trinity no longer exist when Nick could no longer play due to injury. Deswyn can supply the ball, but unfortunately, the finishing was lacking.
Lack of defensive strength, made Sam a little more conservative than his usual style. Perhaps, due to that , he made less run ups than during the pre-league friendly match.
Innebandy is generally not a physical team. Side by side, Spartans are more physical. That's also why the game was faster because there were not many fouls.
We were gambling from the start. So I wouldn't say we capitalize on anything. Its a gamble. That's it.
BBF: Frontliners have been cruising in this league and have definitely surprised all of us. What do you expect of the upcoming matches in hand?
MH: Surprised all of us? WE ARE ALSO SHOCKED.
Borak-borak has already written us off since day one. Our pre-league games have sold us off. Team had low morale. Technically we're inferior to the other teams around. Coach had a headache with lack of players.
Because of all these, we didn't have expectations from the start. Our challenge was about getting the team together, work together as one, support one another, and get ourselves super highly motivated. That was the challenge.
When we stop thinking about winning that's when we play better. We just want to play like SPARTANS. Doesn't matter who's the opponent, we will play them hard.
So what's the expectations? Well, we don't really care because we just want to play our game and develop our new and younger ones.
Next few games will be tough because we will lose 2 important players but we will try our best to win every game and take it a step at a time. All opponents in division 1 are strong or else they wouldn't be here.
BBF: Lastly, who would you vote as the man of the match for Innebandy and why?
MH: I would give Deswyn Wan for the man of the match. Do I even need to explain???
****************************************
So at the end of the day, it was really a close fight, it all came down to 'mental'.
Frontliners still at their peak while Innebendy faced their first loss of the league.
Seems to us that Frontliners is messing up the league table.
But they sure won't mind, and will be glad to be doing so until the league ends!
Bravo to team Spartans!
Borak Says:
Carrard:
It was Spartans who raced into a shock 3-0 lead very early on, making it a nightmare opening for Innebandy.
There was good distribution and penetration in attack, but when the ball came into their own half, the players kept backing and backing, giving Spartans seemingly all the time in the world to waltz through their static line. Not enough cover from the center in defence, and no cutting edge nor creativity, if compared to Spartans’ direct approach.
The two goals conceded by Spartans were schoolboy errors by two of their most experienced players. Credit is given where credit is due, and both teams deserve equal credit: Spartans for extending their fairytale run (they do seem to have a lot of those..), Innebandy for never giving up.
However, this 3-2 scoreline is like a pretty cloth covering a whole lot of questions and shortcomings.
For Innebandy, it just takes an off-form Deswyn and Sam for the team to look very ordinary. It will be interesting to see how they can rebound against a flying Ztec. Win, and the title race stays wide open. Lose and all but hand the title to Ztec. All of Penang will be waiting for this match with bated breath, I can tell you.
For Spartans, how long can this crazy streak last? Will they stumble against winless UniHawks, like last year and forsake all chances of getting a medal? If they win, it will most certainly be an entertaining final round in this league!
Jose:
Kudos to the Spartans as they continued their amazing run of form by beating Innebandy by 3 goals to 2. Frontliners has always been the nemesis to the mighty Innebandy and has not lost to Innebandy for almost a year now (NOT including the 8-3 Pre-season Friendly). In this match, Spartans started the match just like how they played Ztec 8cers, defending tightly using their 1st line and going gung ho with their second line. And it was the second line, that got the goals for them all in the first period of the game. The Spartans really defended like Spartans in the first period, getting to every single lose ball and neutralizing Deswyn from the center. Innebandy weren't able to get a single shot at Sharon's goal.
The 2nd period saw Innebandy not giving up as they tried to close the gap of the scoreline. Tired legs and a lost of focus saw Innebandy reducing the 3 goal deficit to 1, but it was all too late as the Spartans were able to survive the onslaught in the dying minutes of the game. Innebandy were really lacking both in defence and attack on that day. They would have done better, if Nicholas was available for this league as they sorely miss his goal poaching instincts in front of goal.
MoMs:
Kenny Ng, who shows you what cutting edge really means. No opening? He makes one. And in this game, he waltzed through Innebandy’s defence, took one look up and coolly lifted the ball past Lin Ken. Twice. He wins this title hands down.
For Inne, a pretty obvious one. They too boast a 2 goal hero, Deswyn Wan. The centre was the rise and the fall of the team. Tightly marked and without sufficient support, the team look ordinary in the first. But give him an inch or two, he'll turn tables and punished you. Spartans were at the receiving at as they huff and puff in the second period, conceding goals via silly mistakes, almost cost them the game if not for the final whislte.
(3 cheers to Sam and Jason for their insights!!)
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