Teams have so far displayed great footy talent over the first three rounds of competition in the Digicel Cup 2018 season.
Manager of the PNG National Rugby League Competition, Stanley Hondina, made this comparison to the first three rounds of the 20-17 season this week.
He said the matches served justice to the competition level itself, and giving fans and supporters what they deserve.
“After round three and you can see where the results stand. No one has really swept all three out, except the Enga Mioks. The others have won one and two and no one lost three in a row as well. It’s all exciting when you see how they sit on the table. One win can take you up and one loss can take you right down. There were also surprising upsets, especially where crowds favourites that never came home,” Mr Hondina said
Mr Hondina also said there were a couple of issues in the 3rd round, but that’s being managed by the Match Review Committee.
He said the Committee went through the match footage and if any infringements are identified, players or teams will be dealt with according to the Judiciary Court of Proceedings document.
“For the last two rounds, games were clean, but for this round, I heard there were one or two (issues), but I have yet to get a report from the match committee.”
He also said they are working hard to overcome challenges in technical analysis of matches for each team for the purpose of improving team play and strategy.
Meantime, Mr Hondina commented on the SP PNG Hunters’ recent loss, saying defending a cup is twice as hard as winning it in the maiden years.
“The boys have played their hearts out but other teams double up their preparations when they take on the Hunters and that’s been evident with the way the boys have played. The (team) was hit hard with movement of players; a lot from last year’s camp are not there and it’s a tough job (for the coaching team).”
However, he says there is still a possibility of bouncing back from the losses.