The Digicel Cup comes to an end this Sunday with the grand final between minor premiers Lae Snax Tigers and the Kroton Hela Wigmen at the Oil Search National Football Stadium.
It is a culmination of 18 weeks of regular rounds and 3 weeks of the preliminary and elimination finals.
There were great excitements all around at a grand final media conference on August 4th as the 2019 grand finalists face the media to talk briefly about their preparation for the big decider this Sunday.
Without giving too much away, Stanley Tepend, coach of Lae Snax Tigers, confidently said despite the long breaks in between during the finals, his boys have been able to remain focused and will give it their best come Sunday.
“We’re really looking forward to playing this weekend.”
From the opposing camp, Kroton Hela Wigmen coach Andrew Andiki said coming thus far was not an easy task knocking off the Gurias and Lahanis but it was through hard work and commitment and it will be no different against the tigers.
“Every game we take it one at a time,” Andiki stated. “So we respond to the team according to their structures; not giving the same structure all the time. And for the Tigers we’re going to play a different way. I know you have seen the Gurias game.
“With the Gurias game we came with aggression and changed the style of play.”
From PNGNRL’s naming rights sponsor, Digicel, Senior Vice President and Marketing Manager, Lorna McPherson said she is very excited and as an organisation, the company is very proud of the management and progress of competition so far and thanked all the sponsors for their support and investments.
“For us as an organisation that’s something that we are very proud of but it’s also the fact that the behaviour of the players, it’s also the behaviour of the fans as well that the difference in rugby is quite phenomenal,” she said.
“And that’s where the future is for rugby in Papua New Guinea as you see Papua New Guinea grow and develop over the next 10 years.”
While congratulating Lae Snax Tigers and Kroton Hela Wigmen for making the grand final, PNGNRL Manager, Stanley Hondina, thanked the other franchises including major stakeholders of the game for their support and investments in the game.