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FIJI 22
Defeat
PAPUA NEW GUINEA 10
Well, in the end Papua New Guinea fought bravely at CBus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast but were just outclassed by the superior Fijian side. Fiji always looked like they had too much talent for Papua New Guinea and that was evident in the amount of NRL match experience.
During the first 20 minutes of the game though, Papua New Guinea looked to be the better side as it was locked in a real arm wrestle and the score stayed nil all. However as soon as that first 20 minutes was over Fiji seemed to go up a gear and Papua New Guinea went down a gear as they gave away the ball far to often and gave away to many penalty. Fiji made no mistakes making the most of their opportunities with tries to Jason Bukuya and a double to Marika Koroibete to take a lead of 18 points to nil into the half time break.
After half time the game didn’t necessarily flip on its head but it was a slow steady transformation of the game as Fiji struggled to put any more points on Fiji. PNG slowly go themselves back into the game and then managed to score a pair of tries despite giving dropping the ball way too often, the one thing Mal Meninga emphasised for his troops not to do when interviewed at half time. With tries to Trenka and Stanton Wellington they were right back into the game just 8 points behind and causing a real scare for the struggling Fiji. However as PNG tried to spread the ball and look for a way through Goodall came out of the line and took an intercept to run 60 meters to score with proved to be the match winning try.
For Fiji, both the Millard brothers were exceptional, Koroibete played well with a double and I thought Kikaum was exceptional off the bench until he got injured. For PNG Nene McDonald and Ray Thompson were the best on ground.
Passion and pride will be on display when the Papua New Guinea Kumuls meets with Fiji Bati on Saturday afternoon for the Melanesian Cup in the second game of a triple header at CBus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast. Join The Roar from 5:15pm (AEST) for live coverage.
Starting with the Papua New Guinea team and playing under the name “Hunters” they have been playing in the Queensland Cup competition since the beginning of the 2014 season. This has been a massive step forward for Papua New Guinea Rugby League. In 2014 they just missed out on the finals and so far in 2015 they sit in seventh position with five wins and three losses.
In terms of international rugby league their last clash was against Tonga in October of 2014 which they managed to win by two points. Before that it was the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, where they lost three out of three games to New Zealand, Samoa and France.
Looking back even further and it was a two match series against Fiji in 2011 which was tied one all. This shows that Papua New Guinea don’t play a lot of international footy and the Queensland Cup is a great help to them.
On the team front for Papua New Guinea they will be missing probably their best player in Penrith Panthers hooker James Segeyaro who is out with injury. Coached by Mal Meninga, Papua New Guinea at the time of writing have put forward a 19 man squad. Their most well-known player and one of the only ones with NRL experience is Ray Thompson. He will be pivotal to PNG’s chances in this one.
Another player who has come onto the scene strongly for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL is Nene McDonald. He will be likely joined on the wings by Wellington Albert who himself is an exciting young prospect for the Penrith Panthers.
Fiji’s last international rugby league fixture was this time last year when they took on Samoa for a spot in the 2014 Four Nations. They lost this game quite convincingly. Before that it was the 2013 World Cup where they beat Ireland but lost to Australia and England.
Fiji are a country on the rise in international rugby league however with some massively talented youngsters coming through as highlighted when they named their team for this clash.
Let’s start with the back three. Kevin Naiqama, Eto Nabuli and Marika Koroibete. Kevin Naiqama has been playing with the Tigers on the wing so far this season but as highlighted in his performance against the Bulldogs last Friday is an excellent young player. Koroibete may already be one of the most damaging young wingers in the NRL based on his early season form for the Melbourne Storm whilst Eto Nabuli is a real attacking weapon.
In the forward pack and at hooker is Apisai Koroisau who was at the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2014, but shifted across to the Penrith Panthers this season and has been brilliant back for James Segeyaro when he has been injured. Also in the forward pack is the damaging combination of Jason Bukuya and Korbin Sims who will be giving the Kumuls nightmares in the lead up to this game.
Prediction: Overall it looks like Fiji should have way too much for Papua New Guinea but you can be sure everyone will be out there giving 110% for their country.
Fiji by 16.
Join The Roar from 5:15pm (AEST) for what promises to be a very exciting game between these two Pacific Island nations and be sure to leave your comments throughout the game!