Kumul centre rising

Aiton tips Tai for big year in Super League

By PARKER TAMBUA
PNG Hunters coach Paul Aiton is confident that his former centre Rodrick Tai will have a big year in the United Kingdom after the PNG international featured for Warrington Wolves in the Challenge Cup semi-final win against Huddersfield Giants last weekend.
The Sam Burgess-coached Wolves will face Wigan Warriors in the final at Wembley in a fortnight and Tai is likely to retain his spot on the right edge.
Aiton himself won the cup when he played for Leeds Rhinos in 2014 and he knows how prestigious the tournament is in the UK.
Apart from the top flight competition Super League, the Challenge Cup is a knockout tournament which involves top teams in the third tier competition (Betfred League 1), the second tier (Betfred Championships) and the Super League.
The tournament runs parallel with the three divisions’ competitions.
In 2023 edition, PNG duo Edwin Ipape, Lachlan Lam and coach Adrian Lam won the tournament with Leigh Leopards.
“Challenge Cup is big in the UK and I’ve experienced it when I was playing in the Super League. I played for the Leeds Rhinos team that won the tournament in 2014 and it’s big over there,” Aiton said.
“I think Rodrick is already having a big year and looking forward to see him play in the final. You know Warrington Wolves is one of the big clubs in the UK and it’s good to see Rodrick play for them.”
Apart from Lam, Ipape and Aiton, Rhyse Martin featured in the 2020 Challenge Cup win with the Rhinos while David Mead did the same in the 2019 tournament with French club Catalan Dragons.