Kapuls primed

By ISAAC LIRI
THE Papua New Guinea senior men’s football team, the Kapuls, leave today for their first home-and-away fixture against the Solomon Islands Bonitos.
The OFC World Cup qualifier match is on Friday at the Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara.
Kapuls coach Fleming Serristslev knows that the Bonitos will be hard to beat at home as soccer is the number one sport in the Solomon Islands and the hosts will be expected to deliver.
The Dane guided the Kapuls to the final of the OFC Nations Cup last year in a match where PNG kept a highly-fancied New Zealand scoreless over 120 minutes of football at the Sir John Guise Stadium before losing in a shootout.
The wily 70-year-old also marshalled his side to another first earlier this year when he took a side minus several stars including Holland-based David Browne (suspension), veterans David Muta and Koriak Upaiga as well as goal-scoring machine Tommy Semmy, to Tahiti and recorded the country’s first win against the Polynesians.
Based on those achievements and the feeling in camp, Serritslev was confident  his side had the ability to upset the Bonitos.
“I have so much confidence in the boys because they are very committed in training,” Serritslev said.
“They have been working very hard since we came into camp two weeks ago and they are willing to make their country proud.”
Both the Kapuls and the Bonitos have a win and a loss in the Pool B of the OFC Stage 3 World Cup qualifiers and are on three points each below Tahiti who are on six points.
Both Melanesian sides have two games in hand and the group winner should be decided between the Kapuls and the Bonitos, however depending on the results, the Tahitians could still advance to the next stage with a plus three goal differential while PNG (-1) and Solomon Is (-2) are in the negative.
Serritslev said they had nothing to lose in their Honiara match and they would take the same mindset that served them so well in Papeete last month.
“We want to go there to win,” Serritslev said.
“We know it’s going to be tough but we want the win.”
Serristlev said his squad was healthy and fit and raring to go with the only dampener the loss of striker Nigel Dabinyaba on a one-match suspension.
“We have Raymond Gunemba and David Browne, both have been doing well in training. We have Patrick Aisa there too so I think we have good strike power to get us goals.”
The team is once again captained by mid-fielder Michael Foster.
PNG Kapuls: Alwin Komolong (USA), Donovan Murray (PS), Emmanuel Simon (LCD), Felix Komolong (Madang), Ila David (UIFC), Jacob Sabua (Yamaros), Michael Foster (Geelong FC, Australia), Nigel Dabinyaba (Malaysia), Patrick Aisa (Yamaros), Philip Steven (Genesis), Raymond Gunemba (LCD), Roland Bala (NZ), Ronald Warisan (LCD), David Browne (Netherlands), Samuel Kini (Madang), Stahl Gubag (Madang), Clement Willis (Mungkas), Richard Alois (PS), Abel Redenut (Mungkas), Kusuga Komolong (UIFC), Obert Bika (LCD).