| Sports |
Muruks outplay Gurias 42-6 to retain
SP Cup
By DAVID KAPI
The Mabey & Johnson
Muruks are the 2007 SP Cup rugby league competition champions
after humbling minor premiers Agmark Gurias 42-6 in the grand
final at Lloyd Robson Oval in Port Moresby yesterday.
Muruks defended the Cup which they won last year with punishing
defence and set ball movements engineered by hooker and
man-of-the-match Charlie Wabo.
The floodgates were opened in the second half as the defending
champions piled on 22 unanswered points after leading the Rabaul
franchise 20-6 in first 40 minutes to cruise home winners.
However, Gurias were the first to register points in the first
half through SP Cup player-of-the-series, captain Menzie Yere
when lock Rollie Matalau’s kick was missed by Muruks players.
Yere scooped the ball and crossed over the Muruks red line for
Matalau to add extras right in front of the uprights to lead by
six points.
But that was all they could muster all afternoon. Five-eighth
Johnny Boi Toank replied just five minutes later for lock
Malachy Owen to raised to flag and level the score.
Successive tries to lock Malachy Owen, Wabo and winger Sova
Milfred’s first of his double in the space of 17 minutes
indicated that early slaughter was possible for the Gurias but
they were saved by the sound of the hooter.
Gurias needed to fire early and play catch up football in the
second half but they made things hard for themselves with
forward Channel Aquila sin-binned for 10 minutes by former NRL
referee Bill Harrigan for professional foul.
The enthusiastic Muruks denied any chances of the Gurias
comeback as they defended and attacked in numbers to register
the biggest grand final margin victory in the history of the
competition.
The Muruks lead by captain Joseph Omae and forwards Simon Young
and George Monie never looked back then as their two wingers
Sova Milfred and Terry Toa turned the power on, with each
crossing the line twice much to the enjoyment of the packed
Lloyd Robson Oval.
Centres Jonathan Wagano and Wesley Benny also had a field day as
they mesmerised the Gurias defence with power and pace with
fullback Felix Tangue to start the points-scoring race for the
Mendi men, but time caught up with them.
 
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