Boas wants Gurias No.6 to step up

GURIAS captain Watson Boas has challenged his halves partner Allan Simbiri to take more leadership responsibility as the Rabaul side look to keep up with Digicel Cup ladder leaders Lae Tigers.
The East New Britons bounced back from their 16-24 round-three Tigers defeat with a 36-14 win over fellow New Guinea Islands side Kimbe Cutters at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby on Saturday.
The third-placed Gurias, who are two points off the top of the ladder, have the second-best attack in the competition, scoring an average of 30 points per game – three fewer than the Tigers.
Defending champions Tigers also have the best defence after round four of the Digicel Cup, conceding just 9.5 points per game – three fewer than the Gurias.
But despite trailing the Tigers in almost every statistic, Boas is only focusing on helping bring out the best in his men, including former Central Dabaris rookie Simbiri, as they look to break a five-year title drought. The 25-year old told The National that he was confident that five-eighth Simbiri, Wartovo Puara, Stanley Olo, Ila Alu and Silas Gahuna could help the Gurias improve from last year, where they were bundled out in the first week of the finals.
“Allan has been great for us since his arrival,” Boas said on Sunday.
“I’m just looking to provide him support and let him take the lead in attack.
“I can step in when need be.
“With Puara at hooker and Stanley Olo backing him up, I think our spine looks sharp.
“It’s a short season so we’re taking it one game at a time to make sure we give ourselves a good shot at making the finals.”
Boas said they had moved on from the Tigers defeat, which was their first loss of the season.
“That game was tough for us,” the Papua New Guinea Kumuls halfback said.
“It was a clash between two great sides.
“They (Tigers) had a number of quality players so it was a tough away match for us.”