Expecting to put up better performance: Warriors' Kieran Govers

Mohali: Forced to settle for a draw in their opening tie against Dabang Mumbai, Jaypee Punjab Warriors' Australian import Kieran Govers today said they were expecting to put up a better show when they take on Kalinga Lancers in the Hero Hockey India League here on Sunday.

"We expect a lot better of ourselves," the Australian forward told reporters on the eve of the match.

Dabang Mumbai and last year's runners-up Punjab Warriors played out an exciting 3-3 draw in their opening game of the tournament played at Mumbai yesterday.

Commenting on yesterday's match, Govers said his team feels they could have finished on the winning note had they capitalised on the two goals scored by India discard Sandeep Singh. But a last-minute goal by the opponents dashed their hopes.

Talking about tomorrow's fixture, he said, "We want to play better hockey... We will be playing before home crowds unlike in Mumbai where we did not have much support."

About Kalinga Lancers, he said they have some good quality players and the contest should be a keenly fought one.

In their opening tie of the 2015 tournament, the Lancers put up a fine show to beat the Ranchi outfit 6-3 at their home turf in Bhubaneswar. Another Punjab Warriors player Dharamvir Singh said the team coaches keenly watched the videos of the Kalinga Lancers opening match and will pass on the useful tips so that the host team can exploit them to their advantage.

Playing alongside the likes of skipper Jamie Dwyer, Mark Knowles and Jaap Stockmann, Singh said that from experienced and talented campaigners the domestic players also learn a lot.

"The senior players help us in our game and correct us when we make mistakes. This helps us to improve our game," he said.