It has been a painful wait for Dominic to finally reach this stage. A mainstay in the Malaysia U23 squad under the tutelage of Ong Kim Swee, Dominic has seen his defensive partners in Adam Nor Azlin and Irfan Zakaria taking the step up to the senior team while he has to be more patient than his colleagues.
Despite unable to find a regular place in the Johor Darul Ta'zim side, the feeder club rule has allowed Dominic to get game time at Johor Darul Ta'zim II to help his development. Games at the Premier League level as well as his showing for the U23 has convinced Tan Cheng Hoe that Dominic deserves his first shot at the senior team.
Ever ambitious, Dominic has long held the hope that he would be able to break into Cheng Hoe's squad and now that he has earned the trust of the 51-year-old head coach, Dominic is hellbent on making every minute count in order to win over the watching eyes.
"I'm playing in the Premier League and still got called up. As long as I keep playing games weekly, then I'm sure it will not be a problem. It's up to the coach who he wants to play. I will just have to do my best in training and try to fight for a place in the team.
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"For me, one of my main targets that I set for myself this year is to be called up for the national team. I'm glad that I've achieved this. Of course I'm proud and I will do my best to show what I can do for the national team," Dominic told Goal.
The three matches coming up for Malaysia against Nepal and Timor Leste (twice) does not look to be the toughest of opponents and that gives Cheng Hoe the opportunity to test out new combinations all over the pitch. With Aidil Zafuan not considered for the squad this time around, there's a clear vacancy in the centre of defence.
Shahrul Saad had an incredible tournament in the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup but has struggled to maintain a high level of consistency in the domestic campaign this season. Irfan's Kuala Lumpur are struggling at the bottom region of the Super League having conceded the most goals in the league thus far while Adam has found his place at JDT being taken over by Aidil.
That only goes to show that a place in the defence is up for grabs and while Shahrul looks certain to be considered the senior member of the back four that Cheng Hoe prefers, it will be a direct battle between Dominic and his usual partners in the U23 for the other slot.
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