Erave Hornbills bank on brothers to lead in SHP nines

BROTHERS David Joseph and Jerry Teme are part of the Erave Hornbills in the Southern Highlands Nines tournament which kicked off at Momei Oval in Mendi yesterday.
Joseph and Teme are Digicel Cup halves who play for Waghi Tumbe and Lae Tigers respectively.
Hornbills coach Kila Wina told The National on Wednesday that Mendi Muruks centre Levai Andrew was also part of his 20-man squad.
Wina said the team had its sights on the cup and were not participating just to make up numbers.
“We are here to claim the SHP Nines trophy and we have all the confidence in the world that we can win it,” Wina said. “The Hornbills team is not new to nines tournaments.
“We won the Snax Nines last year with the same side and we are maintaining the same players for this tournament.
“It’s good to have the Digicel Cup players in the team because they bring a wealth of experience and class to the side. Most of our players are raw talents from Kagua-Erave electorate in Southern Highlands.
“Such a tournament gives the opportunity to the local players to rub shoulders with the semi-professional players which will also improve their game.”
Wina said their goal going into the tournament was not only to win the prize but to expose their players to Digicel Cup scouts.
“I am sure other teams will field Digicel Cup players and same as us. Some Digicel Cup scouts will be there so it provides a great platform to market our players.”