Blades beat Sunam to win final on third attempt

Blades achieved a milestone after three years of participation in the Port Moresby Hockey Association with a 2-1 win over Sunam in the men’s A-grade grand final at the Sir John Guise Stadium Hockey Pavilion on Saturday.
It was sweet revenge for Blades who dethroned defending champions Sunam, the team who beat them in 2016 and 2017.
Blades’ Milton Kisapai described the win as an exciting moment for the club which was formed after the 2015 Pacific Games and comprises of a few national representatives, including himself.
“We made the grand final three times and for us to finally win it is a milestone,” Kisapai said.
“The win is a big turning point for the club after losing for two consecutive years to the same opponent and everyone in the team deserves the credit.
“For our women’s A-grade team, it was their first time in the grand final.
“But unfortunately, they lost to Wanderers 4-1.
“I think the club deserves to be congratulated for having both our men’s and women’s teams make the grand final.
The grand final success of Blades also complements their work off the pitch as an advocate in the fight against breast and cervical cancer.
“This year, we decided to help the Papua New Guinea Cancer Foundation using our sporting club as a marketing agent where we sell the organisation’s merchandise to raise funds.
“At the end of this year, we will do an official presentation.
“We have seen many experiences of women losing their lives to breast and cervical cancer and as a club, we want to support a worthy cause apart from playing and winning grand finals.
The Blades wore pink ribbons and shirts during the grand finals to show their support for the fight against cancer in the country.