Caught in the Middle

Standing along the sideline, watching my team mates playing in opposing colors was something that caught me in awe today.

This afternoon as usual, I was out at PRL to cover this week's game between the Masta Mak Rangers and Bintangor Lahanis. To my surprise, there was this familiar face in jumper no.4 for the Apos. It was Garnet Auwo, my teamate from Kone Tigers.

Two weeks prior to the bemobile cup season kick off, I was playing alongside Emmanuel Uki and Garnet in Kone Tigers colors here in POMRFL. He left for Goroka after the Rangers who initially called for his service snubbed him.

I personally know a bulk of Rangers players and obviously, my support would have deviated that way but having Garnet on the Goroka side kept me in the balance so I opted to be neutral and wished for the best team to win.

The game progressed well with Uki scoring two of the rangers five tries and Garnet with one for the visitors' seven touch downs. Both were in devastating form. Manu was exceptional, with some superb hit ups and scintillating line breaks that resulted in tries. Few of his trade mark charges this time went a bit astray. He also suprised me with his kicking abilities, where he managed to put a nice grubber 20 m out from the Lahanis territory for the winger to score. He also potted a crucial goal kick about 20m out and 10m in from touch. It was his day on the field. He surely reminded the national selectors of his talents. I wonder how the selectors overlooked such a demolishing fullback PNGRL has to offer. Maybe as Skipper Mel (Eagles half-back) puts it, the Kumul jumper is predetermined for the same people...or recycled players.

Garnet, a former Kumul on the other hand was great with a ferocious fend on Rangers winger Alova Varo and muscling up against another two defenders to score one of Lahanis's decisive tries in the final ten minutes that got them home.

Both teams displayed brilliant structured football. I shall commend the Rangers especially for defending well without eight of their stars who are out for representative duties to play against the touring Fiji Batis. The new bloods brought into the team delivered but I think, fatigue in the last quarter of the game cost them. I guess it would have been a different result had the interchange bench used optimally.

If you had been following this blog, While Line Madness has commented on Lahanis to test the wingers out. Well I guess he got it nail on the hand. The Left winger, Steven Neng, was okay but his partner on the right did not defend well. The notable one was the miss tackle on Garnet Auwo, that cost the Rangers.

All in all, a tightly contested game, but Lahanis were too strong in the dying minutes to come out on top. Their little general, Bafinu Illai who has been the main orchestrator for most part of the game is my choice for Man of the Match.