Buria Redz promoted

By JACK AMI
BURIA Redz, a Motuan village team from Lealea, Central, were promoted to the Southern Super League’s top six after competition organisers eliminated Port Moresby Suburban Ducks who failed to pay their affiliation fee.
The Redz will now compete in the finals of the National Gaming Control Board sponsored competition at Moresby South Stadium on Saturday.
Club president Gewa Iru said the team comprised village youths led by Digicel Cup player in Dabaris’ Heni Rawa and were thankful for their stroke of luck in making the finals.
“These are typical village youths who have played together in nines tournaments in Port Moresby and also back home at Lealea and as an affiliate league we attended the PNG Rugby Football League Southern Confederation championship and two of players were selected for the regional team,” he said.
The Lealea team will face CPG Central Dabaris in the elimination playoff to decide who takes on the Moresby South Blacks in the preliminary final on Jan 22.
“It’s going to be tough but we’ll give it a shot and see how we go,” he said.
Iru said the Redz had set a goal of making the top six and had started off the competition well but after the suspension of the competition due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and the team had dropped in form and had missed out on a finals spot.
He said the club had accepted that they would miss the finals but were happy to get a second chance despite feeling sorry for the Ducks, who had finished third.
Iru said the team had got back to training and there was a good feeling in camp.
He said they were serious.