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Keeping everyone on their toes

SINGAPORE — In the quest to secure a record-extending 26th successive gold medal in men’s water polo at the SEA Games, Singapore national coach Lee Sai Meng has warned that none of his players can take it for granted that their places are secured for this year’s Games on home soil.

SINGAPORE — In the quest to secure a record-extending 26th successive gold medal in men’s water polo at the SEA Games, Singapore national coach Lee Sai Meng has warned that none of his players can take it for granted that their places are secured for this year’s Games on home soil.

As hosts, Singapore will be under tremendous pressure to ensure that run does not end at the June 5 to 16 SEA Games at the Sports Hub.

But with regional rivals such as Indonesia and Thailand narrowing the gap in standards in recent years, Sai Meng and national team manager Lee Thin Cheong believe the squad needs to blood new players in a bid to keep the team fresh and on their toes.

Although this could potentially deny some of them the chance of representing their country on home soil, it is a move Sai Meng is prepared to take if it means improving Singapore’s chances.

“We are in a transitionary phase to create a team that has a mix of experience and youth. This is the squad with the most number of young players I have seen in recent years,” said Sai Meng, himself a former national player and multiple SEA Games champion.

“It is good to put pressure on the older players, so that they will buck up and not slack … For me, it is a good problem to have. For the seniors, they may feel the youngsters are a threat to them and playing at a level that the newbies cannot catch up with is what they have to think about.”

Sai Meng believes such a policy is necessary, particularly with the warning signs at recent SEA Games — including a narrow 12-11 win over Indonesia in 2011 — suggesting that winning the gold medal is no longer a given for Singapore.

The final squad for the SEA Games is expected to be confirmed in April, and Sai Meng and Thin Cheong have not ruled out giving youngsters like 20-year-olds Bryan Ong, Chow Jing Lun, Lim Churn Yi, and Issac Chan, and 16-year-old Darren Lee a chance to make their debut at the upcoming SEA Games.

But three-time SEA Games gold medallist Lim Yaoxiang, who at 32 is the oldest member of the squad, insists he is up for the challenge.

“I do not take it as a given that I will be automatically drafted into the team for this SEA Games. We have depth in the team,” said the winger. “It is a dream to play in front of the home crowd, (a dream that) I want to fulfil.”

Paul Tan, 30, who has been with the national team for 11 years, added: “I’m not worried because ultimately, the best players will play. Sooner or later, we will have to let them (younger players) take over.”

But they are also mindful that fielding too many young, talented but relatively inexperienced players at the expense of battle-hardened veterans who know how to win a SEA Games gold medal is a calculated risk.

“In a few months’ time, we can tell who is up for June’s SEA Games,” said Thin Cheong.

“I am hoping for a double-digit goal margin in our wins against our rivals in the 2015 SEA Games, so that it will kill their games and instil fear among them when they next hear about Singapore. There is no excuse for not bringing home the gold then, too.”

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