| Sports |
Muruks on target to defend SP Cup
By PETER PIA and SAMPSON
BONAI
DEFENDING champions
Mabey& Johnson Muruks restored their SP Cup grand final hopes
alive after disposing early competition pace-setter Bintangor
Lahanis 22-10 in front of more than 5,000 people at Lae Rugby
League ground yesterday.
Jubilant coach Jack Kereme was full of praise and thanked his
players for a great win, saying that they completed their sets
of six and controlled the ball well for the full 80 minutes to
win the game.
“I congratulate all the players for the great win. They all
played very well with great defence and attacking skills to win
the game and we are looking forward to taking on Bulldogs this
weekend,” Kereme said.
Muruks were a determined side at the first half of the 20
minutes registering three unanswered unconverted tries which
they scored through executing some brilliants ball skills.
The first try went to outside centre Jonathan Wagano out wide
which Malachy Owen failed to convert and he also missed the
second one following a try by rising star fullback Felix Tangue
sprinted the length of the field to score after picking up a
loose ball on Lahanis 10m line.
The Lahanis defence was slack and Muruks forwards led by
man-of-the-match Charlie Wambo, Joseph Omai,George Moni, Amos
Mini and Bumayong Secondary School student Norbert Kembo pounded
and caused havoc.
They registered another unconverted try form Sova Milfred to
lead 12-0 at halftime.
In the second stanza, Lahanis came back strongly through Hukukla,
Nicko Slain, Walter Hasu and Paulus Mondo at the helm.
They had couple of chances to score in the first 20 minutes
regulation time of the s second half.
Siwi and Illai with help from lightening winger Alponse Kapil
struggled to bring Lahanis into Muruks territory.
Muruks coach Jack Kereme exploited the opposition weaknesses
through numerous high bombs by Steven Kua.
One bomb resulted in school student Kembo grabbing the loose
ball and running away to score a try which Owen converted for an
18-0 lead.
Soon after the restart, Wambo made an individual run and set
Wagano at the backline for running Owen to visit the Lahanis
line for the fifth time. This brought the scoreline to 22-0 in
the 65th minute.
Lahanis scored through Illai and Kapil for a respectable 22-10
scoreline at the final siren.
 
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