APAC 2010 Journal: Day 4 - 4th February 2010

On paper, we are the weakest team. On paper, they are the strongest team. When we are facing the giant, it is not about what’s on the outside but it is about what’s on the inside. Facing the giant requires us to call out the real person inside us! Entering our first game of the tournament and that’s exactly what we needed to do - we had to play against Singapore, widely regarded as the best team in Asia. What a way to begin APAC 2010 campaign!

Facing the giant!

Everyone was motivated in the dressing room. We were so confident that we can at least give the Singaporeans a hard fight. No doubt, we were all nervous... Nervous for every reason possible... but the fight must still go on. This game was really about challenging ourselves more than anything else. It’s about us fighting against our fears. APAC 2010 will not be about gaining exposure any longer, it’s about going up against every team with the mindset to win.

The Malaysia flag across our jersey was our motivation.

The coaches and team manager of Malaysia discussing.

Running hard, playing hard!

Warming up!

Everything seemed to go into a blur in just within 10 minutes of the game - we were already down 8 to nothing. Facing situations like that is never an easy pill to swallow down especially if it’s only your first match. We were all dejected. We could tell by looking at each others’ faces. By the end of the first period, we were down by 11 goals. It was brutal.

Negaraku.

Facing off against the Singaporeans!

Nothing much can be said about the match. At the end of the day, we all know that we didn't play hard enough, we didn't play with our hearts. The difference between a winner and a loser is that a winner always play with their hearts and not by the circumstance that they are in. We didn't do that today.

It's not a good start for all of us but an essential lesson to be learn. Time to move on.

Three more games to go.

Low Chong Guan, #13