Tai breaks ice for UPNG recruits in Digicel Cup

UNIVERSITY student Jeremy Tai made his Digicel Cup debut on Saturday for the Rabaul Gurias as the first of four players handpicked from tertiary institutions to trial at the national level.
Tai, 21, from Laiagam, Enga, is a second-year dentistry student at the University of PNG’s (UPNG) school of medicine and health sciences.
He was among four students picked by Papua New Guinea Kumuls coach Michael Marum during last month’s UPNG nines tournament and is the first from his group to play in the Digicel Cup.
“Marum was around for the finals and scouted four of us and recommend each of us to clubs in the Digicel Cup,” he said after the Gurias’ 26-22 win on Saturday.
“I was picked to be part of the Gurias and the Gurias management also agreed to take me on, so they sent me a training programme which I followed while waiting for a chance to play.
“I’m studying in Port Moresby, so all I’ve been for the past couple of weeks is just following the training programme.”
An excited Tai said he was eager to learn more from the game while pursuing his studies at the university.