Balimo Suliki beat Eagles, claim Agisa Nines title

THE inaugural Agisa Nines rugby league tournament in Western ended over the weekend with Balimo Suliki defeating Mase Eagles 30-12 in the Cup final at the Daru Recreational oval on Saturday.
Under the guidance of Papua New Guinea Kumuls legends Sawi Kaeta and Sauna Babago, Suliki proved too strong with youngster Aita Giwawa scoring three tries.
Technical official David Silovo told The National that the tournament kicked off on Wednesday with 48 teams from North Fly, South Fly and Middle Fly competing in round matches before Saturday’s finals.
“A lot of athleticism was on show over the last few days with a few familiar faces from Port Moresby continuing their legacy in the game,” he said.
“Giwawa produced an outstanding performance.
“His father is former Tarangau (Port Moresby Rugby Football League) centre Keith Giwawa who was coached by Dr James Naipao.
“We arrived in Daru on Monday and soon after, we kicked off matches with 48 teams competing for the Agisa Cup.
“A big thanks to the organising committee for managing such a big event with about 72 pool games played on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before the finals.
“It was a big task, there were about 109 games in total.”