Story by REDintern Christy. Pictures by REDintern Zhijia and Les Tan.
An MJC player shoots at goal while Harold Foo of RJC defends. The shot went wide. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Tampines Sports Hall, Wednesday, July 23, 2008 – In a closely fought match between two floorball giants, Raffles Junior College (RJC) ultimately dashed Meridian Junior College (MJC) hopes of a second crown when they won 2-1 in the final of the A Division Boys Floorball Championship.
Meridian Junior College started the game fiercely, eager to retain their title as defending champions. However, RJC, runners-up last year, were also hungry for the gold medal.
In the first period, both teams started out fast and furious to get an early lead. RJC had their chance 8 minutes into the game in a goal melee. MJC goalkeeper Lionel Boey (#30) managed to save the ball between his legs. Even though the ball was saved, RJC Dylan Lee (#9) did not stop and dug the ball out and tapped it into the unguarded goal. It was indeed a controversial goal which MJC contested but to no avail. The game was now 1-0 in RJC’s favour.
The second period started with strong attacks from MJC as they looked for an equalizer. Perhaps due to nerves, MJC just could not get the ball in. It was heartbreaking for the MJC bench and supporters to see all the near-misses from the usually accurate MJC players. MJC were given an opportunity for a power play but they were unable to capitalize on the numerical advantage given.
MJC must have known this was not their lucky day when an MJC shot that was on target was blocked by an RJC player who was stepping in the penalty box. Alas, the referees did not spot that foul and the game went on as usual. With neither team able to score, it remained 1-0.
Left with only fifteen minutes to overcome the odds, the pressure piled on MJC in the third period. It didn’t help that RJC’s Anandraj (#15) managed to score a second at the 06:31min mark with a stunning shot which eluded MJC goalkeeper Lionel Boey (#30). With less than ten minutes left on the clock and MJC’s attacks effectively stopped in their track by RJC’s defenders, MJC decided to field 5 players without a goalie.
MJC proved that they could defend just as well with their #3 making a heart-stopping save. With less than 5 minutes and MJC still two goals down, MJC must have thought that luck was on their side when the referee awarded them a penalty. The MJC crowd roared with joy and anticipation. MJC “luck” did not last as after further consultation with the other referee, the penalty was changed to a free-hit instead, disappointing the MJC crowd. Although MJC captain Glendon Phua (#20) managed to close the gap when he knocked in an unstoppable shot in the 14:06min, it was way too late for MJC to stage a comeback.
Although the win is shrouded in controversy, credit must be given to RJC for having worked well tirelessly to defend against MJC who finished top of the league table with the most number of goals scored.
“It was not a nice feeling to go all the way to the final and ultimately not be able to defend the title,” commented MJC captain Glendon Phua (#20) when asked about the match.
RJC captain Harold Foo (#7) remarked after the game, “Winning was not the first and foremost thought for us – it is more important for the team to have worked as one Raffles Junior College and give their best.”
Zuliham of RJC has his shot blocked by an MJ player. (Photo 2 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Di Qiang (#7, MJC) passes the ball on while Dylan Lee of RJ defends. (Photo 3 © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)
Zuliham of RJ takes the ball into the corner. (Photo 4 © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)
RJC celebrate their controversial first goal. (Photo 5 © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)
Aaron (left) and Jing Xiong (right) of RJC vie with an MJ player for a loose ball. (Photo 6 © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)
Glendon Phua (#20, MJC) chases down Jeremy of RJC. Glendon scored MJ’s only goal of the game. (Photo 7 © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)
Nelson of RJC shields the ball from an MJ player. (Photo 8 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
Calvin Chang (MJC,#17) gets tackled by Lee Soon Yoong of RJC. (Photo 9 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
Anandraj s/o Tamilagan (RJC,#15), scorer of the second goal for RJC. (Photo 10 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
RJC players celebrate after Anandraj s/o Tamilagan (RJC,#15) scores. (Photo 11 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
Chong Shyang Long (MJC,#22) chases down Lee Soon Yoong of RJC. (Photo 12 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
RJC players celebrate their win over MJC after the final whistle. (Photo 13 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
RJC captain Harold Foo is overcome with emotion at the win. (Photo 14 © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)
RJC players receive the cheers of their schoolmates. (Photo 15 © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)
RJC celebrate at the final whistle. (Photo 16 © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)
RJC congratulate each other… (Photo 17 © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)
… while MJC contemplate what might have been. (Photo 18 © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)
MJC’s Low Li Wei urge the MJC supporters to cheer for the team. (Photo 19 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
The delighted RJC supporters. (Photo 20 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
Team VJC finished fourth. (Photo 21 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
Team YJC finished third. (Photo 22 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
MJC floorball team. (Photo 23 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
RJC captain Harold Foo lifts the hard-won trophy. (Photo 24 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
Champions – Team RJC. (Photo 25 © Teo Zhijia/Red Sports)
More pictures in the gallery.
Thank you to RJ and MJ for such an exciting match. I believe both sides had their chances. I love the way MJ display their teamwork. I could see that RJ really ran their hearts out and chase after the ball more than MJ.
P.S. Just my 2 cents worth…
to diqiang
thanks for pointing that out.:)
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i really cannot comprehend why people are still discussing abt the ref’s decision.
even when tossing a coin, the probability of getting heads/tail isnt 50-50.
so how can you expect the referee, the reporters and the players(mere mortals; i assume….) to judge an event 100% fair/unbiased
there will always be disputes/controversies(oh.. dun we love them! huh?)
but, shouldn’t we be commenting on the game and not the refs? the last time I checked, Christy wrote a fantastic article on RJC vs MJC match and not referee teamA vs referee teamB match..
let’s talk about the match shall we?
quote:
[VOTE FOR MJC #7 DEFENDER!
i must say he played really well today, maybe even overshadowing all of the other not-so-on-form players.
He’ve brought the ball up to the opponent’s half and controlled it, looking for attempts to make the pass in for the tap in goals, but only to no avail. Also, if anyone realised, in the third period, he ran like crazy in chase of the ball. i think he played forward, even though he always ran back to help with the defense. and i believe all the other audience can practically see his thirst to equalise the game, and he’s the only one running up and down and up and down the court other than the usual glendon. Halfway through the third period, he made an extremely hard shot from midcourt towards the RJC goalpost, but it was saved by the RJC goalkeeper.
Once again, like the semi’s, MJC showed how much they wanted to win. However, in the finals, they probably missed out on their luck, which is evident on the many tap-in misses and the shots which flew all around the goalpost.
If you’d ask me to vote on credit of performance, i believe he really deserves my vote for all his hard work.
Also, i heard he’s new to floorball, with no previous experiences, hence making his play even more commendable.
I believe that you’ve got alot of potential in the field of floorball, and i really hope that you continue pursuing floorball in your future years.
YOU’VE REALLY PLAYED VERY VERY WELL.]
from: http://redsports.sg/2008/07/19/redsportsvi-a-division-boys-floorball-2008/
come to think of it, i’ve noticed that there was this guy with a green stick running all around for the ball in the third quarter. is that him? #7? wow, i could literally see his desire to win from the bench. he’s like, practically running all around the court la!
but! ain’t you a lil obsessed w him? to take note of every single details about him. HAHHA.
to ex-floorballer:
just like other games teams do not start superior…. Well, so Spain is not superior to said Malaysia perhaps in soccer? i wonder why bookies have favourites to win games then… puzzling issue..
well, from my sources, the rjc stepped into the box in an attempt to push my forward out of the slot area. well, i’m not saying who’s right and who’s wrong, just wanted to clear your statment of my forward pushing your defender into the box. also, since the match’s over alr, why not just leave out all these trivial issues, which would probably lead to more flaming.
Yeow Di Qiang(#7)
MJC FLOORBALL ’08
hey I’d like to mention that the penalty for stepping into the goal crease was not awarded because the rj player in question was pushed into the goal crease and did not step in intentionally. of course not saying the pushing was on purpose though.
today’s match was really exciting, and I feel that both mj and rj deserved champions, because both teams played like champs. great job to both, and I rly look forward to another exciting floorball final next year (:
well done rjc! you guys are really deserving.
to christy: your article somehow sounds like mjc SHOULD be the champions, and that rjc is just lucky to win them. the score started from 0-0 just like any other game, so no team should be superior than the other, even though they were champions of last season. i’m sure it sounds kind of bad ): but still good effort, efficient! dont be affected by all the comments(:
To RJ No.2:
I have to say im impressed by your self awareness and humility, i am sure you made great strides toward becoming a excellent player with the toning down of the dirty play.
You are already skilled and if you continue this way you will improve greatly and leave a lasting impression on those you play with.
hey passerby, if ur jst passing by. please just pass unnoticed next time. cause well, thts wht passerby do ;D
i would like to thank Christy for taking her time off to report the games. Its really great as I’m not able to be down for the action most of the time and really, her accounts of the incidents are really detailed.
theres not need to keep going on about her being possibly biased. Whts sports without a tinge of controversy, sides New Paper’s bout the same. so i think, instead of saying she’s biased, why not those who were there watching the game n saying that she’s biased write their own view of the game instead. like les said, it’ll be published =D
and wow kudos to both teams for an excellent game played. It sounded really exciting.
“i believe christy isn’t obliged to answer the question, is she?
once again, i must emphasize, we DO NOT blame the referees for their decision. It’s final, and we respect that.
Personally, i felt that we did not lose because of the supposed factor of ‘luck’, we just didn’t play well enough to win.”
Respect to you, Yeow Di Qiang, for speaking up and not remaining anonymous. I love your honesty, and humble attitude. Good work on the part of both teams, and I just hope people will keep giving constructive comments concerning the work done and the game played!
@christy
i believe photo #8 is a RJC player trying to shield the ball from the MJC player, instead of the other way round.
Cheers.
hey les, great coverage. photos 1 and 14 are awesome (: haven’t shot sports in ages man. hope to shoot something for you guys soon!
i would love to say that a div has been an amazing journey and that i’ve learnt well. i think people misunderstood me for being a rough and dirty player. there was one incident i hit one of the mj player’s head.
to explain myself i’ve been trying to clean up my game ever since the vj game during the last group stage and it hasn’t been easy. i was trying to get past the guy but he stood in front of me as soon as i raised my stick to get over him. unfortunately, people perceived it as me hitting his head so i cant say much about that. i’m really sorry to all those who i had “dirtied” on and ever since then i’m learning and learning.
i respect all my opponents and the mjc captain deserve so much credit for pushing the team on, creating the chances that were sometimes quite extraordinarily carved by his own moves.
congratulations on all the teams that achieved their goals, whether or not they didnt achieve the ultimate prize.
@passerby
i believe christy isn’t obliged to answer the question, is she?
once again, i must emphasize, we DO NOT blame the referees for their decision. It’s final, and we respect that.
Personally, i felt that we did not lose because of the supposed factor of ‘luck’, we just didn’t play well enough to win.
Yeow Di Qiang(#7)
MJC FLOORBALL ’08
hey hey!
i think the match is so nice man!! i love it. jia you all=D
WELCOME~
i think christy did a great job for the article! stop shooting her. Cheers christy!
everybody has their own opinions ok? if u are that good, write an article and send to redsports la.dont talk only, no action.
i was at the match, and i think the MJ floorballers did a good job, never giving up till the end. RJ was good too, but maybe luck was just on their side alright..
but anyway, congrats Raffles!
Hey christy are you from MJC? i feel its quite biased towards MJC. I feel that MJC did a great job and RJC did very good defending and counter attacking which won them the championship. Yes there maybe controversies but RJC did a very good job. Was wondering why wasnt a penalty given… down to the referees again??? perhaps the ref killed MJC luck.
i felt that the 3rd and 4th placing match between YJC and VJC was truly enthralling, it was more exiting and nail biting then the final!well done both teams
thanks everyone for presenting your views about the comment. However, as a player in the tournament, i respect the referee’s decision even though it may be controversial. I hope you all would stop blaming the referee since even I, a supposed victim, do not blame the referee.
also, christy is a reporter and she wrote the article herself. i really dont see the point of blaming her for writing the ‘subjective’ article since it’s HER article. anyway, i would like to thank christy AND zhijia(the photographer) for commiting so much of her time to cover our floorball matches.
Anyway, congratulations to RJC for this wonderful match. To me, i feel that your tactics worked very well in neutralising our attacks and you all made full use of the counter-attacks opportunity to bring us down. I’ve given my 200% physically and mentally, and i, personally and sincerely, congratulate RJC for winning the finals. I’ve given my best, and I lose with no regrets.
Yeow Di Qiang(#7)
MJC FLOORBALLER ’08