It’s now or never for Bintangor Goroka Lahanis and Lae Snax Tigers who will leave no stones unturned this weekend as they brace themselves to get through their final hurdle.
The preliminary final this Sunday decides who gets the right to meet early Cup favorites Mioks in the grand final next Sunday.
From the outset, Lahanis recent back-to-back wins against star studded teams, Hela Wigman and Agmark Gurias, had merit and could be the real deal. They are the giant killers of semifinals footy.
They are up against the sleeping giants, and a benchmark of the competition Tigers, who’ve been there, done that and know what it takes to bounce back and rise to the challenge when it really counts.
On form Tigers could be ranked 2nd most consistent throughout the season behind Mioks and look to bounce back against Lahanis if they can polish up their attack and get their execution right which really let them down last week against Mioks. They have a good defensive system, which was outstanding last week.
As evidence in their past two wins, Lahanis play simple open football with a simple game plan. They play to their strength in effort areas, with compressed defense in the middle. However, against the pacey Tigers outfit especially on the edges, the intensity and tempo of the game could take a lot out of the players. The team that completes high with better execution and back it up with strong defense, could triumph.
Prior to the preliminary final between Lahanis and Tigers on Sunday, women’s rugby league, Northern Zone will play Highlands zone at 11am, followed by Southern vs NGI, in the PNGRFL National Women’s Championships.
The top two women’s teams qualify for the grand final, which will be played before the DEM Cup grand final on September 3, 2023 at the Santos National Football stadium.