Gurias wary of Vipers

 By MELTON PAIS
THE Agmark Gurias head into the weekend’s round five Digicel Cup fixture against the Port Moresby Vipers buoyed by their 13-10 win over the Hela Wigmen in Mendi last week.
For the Gurias, their victory was a rare achievement for the New Guinea Islands side, who had struggled in recent years for positive results when playing in the Highlands.
So far, the Gurias have won three games and had a bye over the opening four weeks of the season.
In Sunday’s clash, the Tolai men take on an unpredictable but dangerous Vipers side struggling for form but boasting an experienced,  hardened roster that will make things interesting at Kalabond Oval, Kokopo.
Gurias coach Steven Nightingale told The National yesterday that playing the Vipers was always a tough proposition regardless of their form because of the number of quality players they had in their ranks.
“We know the Vipers have stepped up their game over the last two rounds after a poor start so we’ll be ready for their best on Sunday,” Nightingale said.
“They beat the Lahanis in Goroka in round three and not many teams have done that over the years.
“Then they followed it up with a close lose to the Eagles in Hagen, which shows they are starting to settle into the competition.”
Nightingale, who guided the Gurias to winning the premiership last year in his first season as head coach, said the side had only one casualty from the Mendi game.
“We’ve lost prop Pidi Tongap with a fractured forearm from the game against the Wigmen.
“We’ve got enough experience to cover for the loss.
Tongap, a Kumul from the 2010 Four Nations tour, is expected to be out of action for at least six weeks.
The Gurias pack still boasts quality metre-gainers in Samuel Hamari, Emmanuel John and Nelson Daplen, who will have to be needed to contain the Vipers big men Samuel Koim, Richard Kambo and Elijah Riyong. Nightingale said his side would include two former players in Tuvi Lepan and William Aquila, who had been recruited by the PNG Hunters for 2016 but had not been used by coach Michael Marum over the last three rounds of the Queensland Cup. He said the Gurias would have their final training today and the final list for this weekend’s match would be released tomorrow.