Eagles bag narrow win at home

 By ELIAS LARI

MT Hagen Eagles winger Nixon Pot bailed his side out of a potential 1-0 home loss with an unconverted try in the final minute of their Digicel Cup rugby league match the against Mendi Muruks yesterday.

The Pool 1 game had a point-less halftime score and with three quarters of the match gone it  was heading for a rare 0-0 score line. 

Mendi scored what was an unlikely field goal winner in the 76th minute through O’Neil Ombul.

This too would have been a record score line for the competition however the Eagles egged on by the home crowd through everything at the Muruks defence in the dying minutes.

Eagles Bryan Noki, Francis Pengti, Bamu Talingapua, Mosely Tika, Junior Rau and Solo Kumin were spurred into action.

Their last minute play saw Noki break into the Muruks half and off-load to a supporting Pot who raced in score a try on the full time hooter.

Tika missed the conversion but it was all academic as the home side had clinched a valuable win with a heart-stopping last gasp try.

Despite suffering a gut-wrenching loss,  Muruks best were Issac Mel, Joshua Molsie, Oliver Anton, Soki Sond and Robert Yako. 

The Muruks host the Port Moresby Vipers in Mendi next week while the Eagles have the bye.

Eagles coach James Kops said the win was built on defence.

“We won this game with tight defence,” Kops said. 

It is a good start to the Digicel Cup for us but I’m expecting more from my players over the whole season.”