Young Mioks brace for Gurias

 GROOMING players out from the only country’s biggest off season rugby league competition the Ipatas Cup has seen three Enga Mioks players now playing with the PNG Hunters in the Queensland Cup.

Coach Timothy Lepa said this after his Mioks won back to back matches in Pool 2 of the competition. Lepa said David Loko, Roger Laka, and Essau Sine had been developed by the Mioks and he was happy to see the Ipatas Cup played a big part in molding all three players’ careers.

“I’m just so pleased that our Ipatas Cup competition and the Enga Mioks have contributed to developing these three players and giving them the chance to be where they are now,” Lepa said. 

Lepa said the franchise had made it a point to recruit from the rural leagues to give players who would otherwise have missed out a chance to taste top level rugby league. He said that the team was the product of a healthy talent identification and grooming system that was producing quality footballers.

Lepa said his Mioks squad was probably the youngest and least experienced group he had worked with since the Mioks re-entry into the 2009 Digicel Cup. 

“We have quite a few youngsters in the team including a  young hooker by the name of Matthew Wawa,” Lepa said.

“Matt has been playing well for someone so young and in a tough competition like the digicel Cup. It goes to show that he is a player for the future.” With a string of strong performances under their belt including wins over the Agmark Gurias and the Goroka Lahanis and a draw against competition pace-setters Lae Tigers, the Mioks were playing well above themselves.

Lepa said for Sunday’s clash against the Gurias the side was entering the contest with nothing to lose.

Meanwhile, he said the Enga Provincial Government Mioks team arrive in Kokopo today and would take time out to watch the Hunters play the Souths Logan Magpies.  Lepa said he would get his young team to spend time with  Loko, Laka and Siune  before their match against the Gurias the following day.