Vipers coach hails lightweight Bigam for hard work, commitment

PORT Moresby Vipers winger Brendon Bigam is small but he has a big heart for rugby league, says interim head coach Joe Sipa.
Sipa told The National yesterday that Bigam’s weighed just 69kg which was below the weight of a standard winger at the semi-professional level.
Bigam, who played for Paga Panthers in the Port Moresby Rugby Football League before he earned a Vipers call-up in 2021, made his Digicel Cup debut in round three against Mt Hagen Eagles last month.
The winger was only a fringe player at the start of the season, but he got his opportunity when regular Frank Tole was dropped.
Bigam missed out on selections in the next two rounds after he made his debut. But he played two-straight games when Sipa took over as interim head coach earlier this month.
“Brendon’s weight is 69kg which is too light for winger at this level,” Sipa said.
“But one thing I admire about this player is that he is committed.”
He said Bigam worked hard and he had a big heart for the game.
“In the two games that I coached the side after I took over, I named him one the wing because of that,” Sipa said.
“He always intimidates the opposition every time he has the ball.
“He’s a tricky little player and he makes it difficult for the opposition to catch him.
“The more he intimidates the opposition, it makes them lose focus on their defensive structure which creates opportunities for us in attack.”
Sipa said in the game against Lae Tigers in round seven on Sunday, Bigam beat former SP Hunters Butler Morris a number of times on the wing and found gaps.
He said Bigam would need to gain more weight to realise his full potential.