Brothers help Bougainville win bronze

HAVING brothers play on the same team can be beneficial in many ways, in the national and international level, as we have seen Boas brothers Ase and Watson excelling with the PNG Hunters and the PNG Kumuls in rugby league.
In soccer at the provincial level, the Kusi brothers, Maximillian Kusi, 30 and Ferdinand Kusi, 28, from Bougainville, helped their side win bronze for the first time in the 7th PNG Games in Kimbe, West New Britain.
For the brothers, winning bronze was the highlight of their time playing alongside each other; it was history in the making as they played their hearts out, making their families at home proud.
Their soccer story dates back to the late 1990s when both were kicking the football around while growing up in Hutjena, Buka.
Being raised by single mother Josephine Masike, life was hard for the siblings without a father around to guide them, and outside the classroom, they always found the soccer fascinating.
Their home was right next to the Hutjena Oval and when they got bored, they would take to the field to kick the ball around.
Ferdinand is a regular in the Bougainville side.
He has represented the side since the 2008 PNG Games and up until last week had yet to win a medal.
The Bougainville men beat Manus 3-2 in the bronze medal playoff at the San Remo sports precint. “Every time I came with the team, we never made it to the finals but this time we managed to win a medal which is really good; it’s a satisfying feeling,” Ferdinand said.
“We could have made the gold medal playoff but we missed out.
“Hopefully, we get that chance at the next Games. Soccer is big back home and it would mean a lot to bring back a gold medal.”
Ferdinand was also a member of the Madang Fox side in the National Soccer League in 2009.