Lahanis settle for draw

KICKING proved the bane of the Goroka Lahanis who had to settle for an 18-18 draw with the Gulf Isou in their Digicel Cup round-14 clash in Port Moresby on Sunday.
Lahanis’ captain Charlie Buka had the chance to clinch the match for his side with a kickable conversion adjacent to the posts but let his teammates down when he inexplicably missed the target.
Coach Gonzella Urakusie said simple errors were what was leaving his side outsiders to make the finals.
“We needed the win but we made too many errors, some of which were crucial,” he said.
“We thought Charlie was going to nail that kick but it was unfortunate that he missed.”
Despite the mistake veteran Buka led his side well and even scored the equalising try in the 77th minute but could not provide the final touch to his all-round effort that would have seen the Eastern Highlands side move into sixth spot on the ladder.
The result sees the Lahanis (11 pts) in seventh on the ladder with Central Dabaris (12) ahead of them in the sixth spot.
With three games remaining before the finals, the Lahanis are not out of contention but cannot afford to let chances to win slip like they did against the Isou.
“We have to put our heads down and come back hard for the next game,” Urakusie said ahead of their round-15 clash against Dabaris.
“Our focus for training this week will be on positional play and ball security. I think we need to improve on these areas.
“I also expect our experienced players to step up and lead the side over these next three matches,” the Lahanis coach said after the game.
Meanwhile, Gurias are back as front runners of the competition with 22 points but the race for minor premiership is still a neck-and-neck battle with the Muruks (22) and Wigmen (22) after round 14 of competition.