Tigers save face

The Lae Snax Tigers have saved face with a close win over the Agmark Rabaul Gurias, 20-16, in Lae on Sunday.

After a minute of silence in respect of the National Remembrance Day, which fell on July 23rd, the first and sixth-placed teams pulled out all stops to get a clear head start.

Just 10 minutes into the match and a kick by Gurias’ five-eighth, John Ragi Jnr, saw his teammates sprint towards the Tigers’ tryline. Left winger, Elias Pidik, caught the ball over Sonny Wabo’s head, sidestepping him and dashing for the line with Tigers’ Billy Paul hot on his heels.

Pidik maneuvered to the right, grounding the ball firmly for the opening try of the round 8 match.

He successfully converted his own try to ensure a 6-point lead until the Tigers crossed their line 5 minutes later through centre, Roderick Tai.

Twenty-five minutes in and the elusive Sonny Wabo secured a converted try for his team.

With a few minutes left before halftime, the Tigers grabbed two more points through a penalty kick.

The hosts closed the second half with the scores at 6-14.

Returning from break, an energised Tigers’ game-maker, Wabo, grounded his second try of the match six minutes in.

Five-eighth Joshua Lau converted for a 14-point lead.

The Gurias, this time, would not go without a fight, hitting back hard and tiring out the Tigers’ defense. They managed to score two more tries, with the scores at 16-20 as the final siren went off.

(Lae Snax Tigers’ five-eighth, Joshua Lau, and centre Roderick Tai, keeping a close watch on their Gurias opponent)

Author: 
Carmella Gware