Morobe strike gold in league 9s

MOROBE struck gold in the rugby league nines tournament for the first time yesterday, belting NCD 22-16 in the final at the Lloyd Robson oval in front of a capacity crowd.
The Baramundis from Western province won bronze medal after thrashing West New Britain 28-8 in a one-sided showdown.
The much heavier pack from the capital city failed to contain the star-studded Lae troops who ran rings around their opponents from the kick off scoring five tries and successfully converting one.
NCD had themselves to blame for the defeat, choosing to be much more physical using their size up the middle of the racks, but buttered fingers was the order of their set of play.
While Morobe took advantage of their opponents mounting ball handling error rates converted their chances into points.
Team NCD managed to touch down for three tries, with two successful conventions from Samson Ene in front of the uprights.
Three-time defending champions Team Central were dethroned by Team Morobe became the second team to win gold since the inception of rugby league nines tournament in 2003.
In the plate finals, East New Britain edged out Central 24-20 in a blistering encounter while  Western Highlands were too strong for Simbu defeating them 20-0 and   Oro butterflies flew over East Sepik in the spoon finals 16-10.
Port Moresby Rugby league also gave the 16 provinces who participated in the tournament cash prizes to show its appreciation for the teams taking part in the nines tournament.