Admiralty on the rise

By HENRY MORABANG
ADMIRALTY are confident they can provide a credible challenge against Erema Gulf in their National Premier League Southern Conference round four fixture at the PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby tomorrow.
The Manus side started off their NPL campaign in the worst possible manner when Amoana put 11 goals past them in the opening round of the competition on April 22.
That was a forgettable day for coach Peter Sakael and his side but since then, Admiralty have been playing the type of football that has got fans believing again.
The results post-round one speak for themselves — a 1-0 win over fellow Manusians Rapatona, followed by a gutsy 2-1 loss to perennial title favoutites Hekari United last week tells all and sundry — Admiralty are a different side from the one that ran out at the Sir John Guise Stadium three weekends ago.
Coach Sakael has made it simple for his charges. The focus he said was on themselves, on being consistent and on putting up a strong performance.
“We respect Erema for what they’ve done and we know they can play and beat anyone. But I’ve told my side to play our game and let the result take care of itself,” Sakael said.
Admiralty are on an upward trajectory so a loss to Erema is not something Sakael wants to think about.
“We’re picking up momentum and hopefully we can give another good performance like we have done over the last two games.”
A lot will depend on Admiralty’s Lahai William, Nomis Pele, captain Roger Sevua and Parkop Posagat.
Junior Cholai could be a late scratching as the striker was sick for most of the week but Sakael remained positive.
“Junior has been sick throughout the week but we’re hoping he’s fit enough to take the field this weekend. It’s an important match for us. We have to win these types of games to keep up with the pace setters like Hekari and Papaka,” he said.
Sakael appealed to all Manus fans in the city to once again turn up to watch their side take on the Gulf men.
Erema under the tutelage of Milton Gori have gotten some confidence from the fact that Admiralty are unpredictable at times.
The Gulf provincial government-backed team failed to register a win against a nine-man Rapatona outfit last week resulting in a goalless draw.
Team manager Edward Mimino said Gori needed his mid-field firing up and the heat was on Kapret Tingut, captain Poesi Pakot and Roger Karava set up their front men.
Striker Michael Gita and wing Douglas Konde can cause havoc for the Admiralty defence if they get better support than what they had in their last outing.
In the opening game, Amoana need to keep their cool and play football to restore the lost pride when they meet competition leader Hekari in the opening match.
After a dream start to their season in round one, the wheels have fallen off the cart, with two losses.
Veteran Tau Nius has to take charge of a young side and will need a little help from his brothers Kalai and Amona.
Hekari on the other hand need little introduction.
Eric Komeng’s side have been in cruise mode since game one, rarely being pushed and pressured, but that is not to say they have dominated outright. Against the right Amoana they could be required to work for this win.
In the main game, Papaka face Rapatona in a match which they have the form to win.
Rapatona have old gun Cyril Muta and national rep Rodney Mobiha to call on but the rest of their roster has to step up if they want to cause a minor upset.
Papaka coach David Aua though has not underestimated Rapatona saying they would treat the opposition with respect and focus on tucking another three competition points under their belt.
Round 4 Fixtures: Sat, May 13 – 1100 Hekari v Amoana Koupa, 1300 Erema v Admiralty, 1500 Papaka vs Rapatona.
Standings: Southern Conference –Hekari 9, Papaka 7, Erema 7, Amoana 3, Admiralty 3, Rapatona 1; Northern Conference – Nawaeb 7, Morobe United 6, Markham 6, Madang 4, Lahi 2, Bulolo 0.