Raiders edge Rats in Morata off-season

By MELTON PAIS
Giburi Raiders edged Waga Rats 14-6 in round five of the Morata off-season rugby league challenge at the Kone Tigers Oval on Saturday.
The Morata boys ran in three tries to a solo try for the police team comprising officers in the four police barracks in Waigani.
The Nixon Koko-coached Waga boys were tough in the first half and held on to a 6-6 draw at halftime but the Raiders showed them no mercy in the second stanza.
After the successful match on Saturday, competition chairman Daniel Busu said he was pleased that the off season competition was revived after three years.
“It started in 1982 but ceased in 2014 when Port Moresby Suburban Rugby League stepped in to run the league but now we are coming back to revive the league,” Busu said
He said all the 16 teams for Morata and Waigani areas including the team from the police barracks have agreed to compete in the off-season competition for the next 14 weeks.
“We have started our first games  a month ago and the fifth round ended on Saturday. We will go into the sixth round this week.”
He said Digicel Cup players like Noel Joel and David Lapua, who had started their league careers in the Morata off season competition have returned and helped the other boys in terms of player advice and training.
“As Morata and Waigani are known to be notorious places, we want to keep the youths from these places busy in sports during their school holidays for them to have a positive mindset.”