Papua New Guinea (PNG) international Koriak Upaiga is relishing the challenge of playing in the Telekom S-League.
“I think the Telekom S-League is competitive compared to our league back home.
“There’s a lot of football politics going on in PNG and suddenly the NSL in PNG has dropped in terms of its standard.
“A good number of us PNG boys have moved here [to the Solomon Islands] this season and we have benefitted as players but at the same time, I believe we have also helped in improving the standard of the S-League so I’m happy to have helped in this way,” he said.
Upaiga’s performances at right-back this season for Marist FC has been second to none and he has been working hard at training to polish up on his finishing abilities inside the opposition box.
And he has added that valuable aspect to his game, scoring from two headers in Marist FC’s last two games against Solomon Warriors and Real Kakamora.
“We did a lot of training on set pieces and I kept trying to master my abilities inside the box to finish off corners and free kicks and I’m happy it paid off when it matters most,” Upaiga said.
Despite the fact that Marist FC are still trailing leaders, Solomon Warriors, by four points on the table with two matches to go, Upaiga insisted they will keep fighting till the end.
Apart from Upaiga, five other PNG internationals are also making an impact in the S-League this season.
Former PNG national team captain David Muta and Raymond Gunemba are helping Henderson Eels fight for an OFC Champions League spot.
Mid-fielders Michael Foster, Jacob Sebua and striker Tommy Semmy play for Malaita Kingz, with Semmy currently leading the golden boot race with 16 goals.
(File picture)