All the best Kapuls

IT is my view that the PNG Kapuls, the men’s national soccer team, should do very well in the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa with the current players who are some of the best Papua New Guinean players of all time.
I am saying this from observing the team that went against New Zealand All Whites in the grand final during the OFC Nations Cup in 2016.
I watched the Kapuls’ every game and was impressed with the attacking play with reliable players like Raymond Gunemba, Tommy Semmy and Nigel Dabinyaba, midfielders Michael Foster and David Muta as well as the backs like Alwin Komolong and his brother Felix, Koriak Upaiga and Daniel Joe.
The goalkeeper, Ronald Warisan too was outstanding in denying the NZ team any goals in the two halves and extra time.
To some of us, it was obvious in the first 15 minutes that our boys were making the NZ players look amateurish when they move ball around and ran around them.
I was greatly impressed at how the team held the FIFA World Cup team to a 0-0 fulltime score and then 20 more minutes of extra time without the All Whites scoring – and only winning in the penalty shootouts.
(At least five 2010 World Cup players were in that All Whites team in 2016, and that included Rory Fallon and Chris Wood.)
It was only in the penalty shootouts that NZ emerged winners with the score of 4-2.
Otherwise the PNG boys did us proud.
Think about it, no PNG Kumuls team have held the Kiwis with a 0-0 score line or a PNG Pukpuks team have held the All Blacks 0-0 until full time.
It is for this reason that I have great faith in this PNG Kapuls team, and if all goes well the mature leadership of former captain David Muta.
The Kapuls never lost a game to any opponent in the 2016 international matches and they can do it again.
There is one thing though that they must work on and that is to keep up their defence until the final whistle goes.
There must not be any lapses in defence, none at all.
In 2016, New Caledonia and Tahiti came from behind to level the scores with PNG in the pool matches due to this common lapse in the PNG Defence Department.
This must not happen again.
Otherwise, for coach Bob Morris and his management team, we the football (soccer) supporters in PNG are all for you, the Kapuls.
You can be the best team in the 2019 Pacific Games.
We are sure you can make our nation proud like you did in 2016.
May Gunemba, Foster and Muta lead and take PNG soccer to another level.
All the best.

80s Pom School Boys Soccer