PRL competition leaders Royals shocked by Tarangau

By JACK AMI
TARANGAU shocked competition leaders Royals 32-12 in their Port Moresby Rugby League A-grade fixture at the National Football Stadium on Sunday.
Locked at 12-12 at the break, Bomana-based Tarangau surged ahead in the second half with 20 unanswered points.
Despite having a great start to the season, Tarangau lost the plot midway through but are peaking at the right time ahead of the playoffs.
For Royals, it was a heavy defeat – something they were not expecting from the opposition.
They were punished by solid defence from the opposition and restricted from posting any points after the break.
Gordon Barracks-based Royal will need to go back to the drawing board to identify what went wrong before their round-19 fixture this weekend.
Tarangau coach Humphrey Begada said: “We were prepared for the match.
“Knowing that a loss would affect our standing in the top-eight with seven matches remaining before the playoffs, we all had to put in a strong effort and we did.”
Begada commended Under-20s Joe Joe Yamason, Joel Gena and Jordan Steven for putting in solid performances.
“I selected these three youngsters because they had been consistent,” he said.
“I told my senior players that the positions are all up for grabs so they have to perform to earn their spot.
“All my senior players are aware of this, so they need to start pulling up their socks to win spots in the team or else our U20s will replace them.”
Meanwhile, Tarangau president Joe Yamason has appealed to business houses for club sponsorship.
“Interested sponsors can contact me on 74760304 to discuss further details,” he said.
Results: Tarangau 32 Royals 12, Hohola Flies 8 Butterflies 4, Dobo Warriors 12 Brothers 8, Kone Tigers 18 Magani 6, Hawks 14 Gulf West 4, Paga Panthers 15 Kone Storms 14.