The Lae Snax Tigers showcased a dominant forward presence, ultimately defeating the PRK Mendi Muruks with a 10-8 win in the elimination final of the 2024 Digicel ExxonMobil Cup on Sunday, August 25, 2024, at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby.
The Snax-sponsored Tigers started off strongly in the elimination match and got the Muruks off-guard, creating an opportunity for halfback Jacky Winas, who scored an opener in the 4th minute. Winas successfully converted it for a 6-point lead.
Both teams played on without securing any tries for the long period after five-eight Winas kicked a penalty in the 31st minute to extend their lead to 8-0.
The Muruks held their strength in the final 10 minutes of the first half, with halfback Mark Tony scoring a try in the 35th minute. Tony failed to convert the try, leaving the Tigers ahead 8-4 at halftime.
The second half was crucial for the Tigers as the Muruks came back strong and maintained their momentum throughout, creating an opportunity for Myles Posu to score a try in the 42nd minute. Despite their efforts, Tony missed the conversion, equalising 8-8.
The Tigers maintained their strong defence but also failed to capitalise on a few errors made by the Muruks, despite reaching Muruk’s red-zone on a few occasions.
Tigers managed to secure the win when Jacky Winas slotted in another penalty in the 56th minute, securing a 2-point lead of 10-8. They strengthened their defence in the remaining minutes into the fulltime and finished with a 2-point win.
Tigers head coach Noel Zemming expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, acknowledging the tough challenge posed by the Muruks.
“We knew it was going to be difficult. Muruks always put up quality fights, they have quality coaching and tactics. We respect them and know they will come out fighting hard,” Zemming said.
“We knew that winning the Muruks in two previous games in the regular rounds of the season does not guarantee us win today.”
He praised his team for their hard work and commitment, emphasising the importance of learning from their experiences and improving for future games.
“We will work on fixing our errors, polishing up our defence. We just have to play a bit smarter, especially in the final footy. It's always physical, so we just have to be smarter,” Zemming stated.
“We had really good forwards. We just have to play a bit more smarter, especially in the final footy. It's always physical so we just had to be smarter.
“I had a young forwards pack. They have gone through a lot. They are very young and are still growing and maturing in their understanding of the game, so I just hope they have learnt from all the experiences and improved.
“I am just happy they got out there, enjoyed themselves and played as we wanted them to do and contributed a lot to the team’s victory.”
The Tigers have faced a challenge, where the recent heavy rain in Lae caused the flood, which affected them in the lead up to Sunday's match. However, the courageous Tigers managed to overcome this hurdle, turning it into a victory.
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