Kumuls prepared to stop big Fijians

CAPTAIN Rhyse Martin says the Papua New Guinea LNG Kumuls have several strike weapons to counter Fiji bigger forwards in Saturday’s Oceania Cup clash in Christchurch, New Zealand.
“This is going to be a massive game for us and to win, we need to play as a team with the kind of spirit we’ve had in camp since day one,” he said at the Jackson International Airport in Port Moresby yesterday.
“It will be a tough game. We are prepared to face the bigger Fijians who can cause problems with their offloads. They have big, mobile forwards so we’ll need to contain them.
“We are aware of the threats they pose after watching them on video last night (Sunday). We will need to be on our game.”
The Leeds Rhinos forward said Melbourne Storm centre Justin Olam and South Sydney Rabbitohs flyer Alex Johnston were crucial components to their attack.
“This is where we should capitalise on to score points and overcome the opposition,” Martin said. “We have Luke Page joining us in Brisbane. He is an experienced forward so he’ll add firepower to the side.
“It’s been a good week of preparations. We are all excited and looking forward to the game.”
Besides Olam and Johnston, coach Michael Marum will also be counting on Watson Boas, Wartovo Puara, Stargorth Amean, Terry Wapi, Kyle Laybutt, Garry Lo and Edene Gebbie to threaten Fiji’s defence. Forwards in the likes of Wellington and Stanton Albert, Nixon Putt will need to lay the foundation.