Giant Killers!

Sport

PNG rugby league comes of age.

By Larry Writer

THE PAPUA New Guinea Kumuls rugby league team served notice during last year’s tour of England and France that they were at last a force to be reckoned with on the international rugby league scene. Although the PNG players were powered out of the Test matches by bigger opponents, they dis played ball skills and elusiveness far above the average. All that has ever stood be tween Papua New Guinea and interna tional Test Match success has been the Kumuls’ inability to keep on bringing down the big men of England, France, Australia and New Zealand for the full 80 minutes of a match. And this, again, was their undoing on the recent European tour.

Now, however, with a comprehensive beating of Australia’s Gold Coast Giants based on a ferocious and unflagging def ence, the Port Moresby side proved that Papua New Guinea rugby league has at last solved its defensive problems.

The victory was noted with alarm by Australian rugby league chiefs who had considered that the Test Match this year between Papua New Guinea and Aus tralia at the Wagga Showground, NSW, on July 20 was a foregone conclusion. The in ternational game is sandwiched into a full Australian representative calendar that features State of Origin games, a series against Great Britain and a match against the Rest of the World.

The silver-clad Gold Coast Giants, this year playing in the tough Sydney compe tition for the first time, were shocked by the determined Port Moresby side. Al though the Giants boasted a million-dol lar team they were beaten 28-22. In the losing team were Australian international

star Chris Close, the man who inspired Manly club to the 1987 premiership, “Rambo” Ronny Gibbs, speedster Ben Gonzales, Mike Eden, Mark Ross, Billy Johnston and Rob Simpkins, all in the top rank of Australian league performers.

The Lloyd Robson Oval victory was a tribute to Port Moresby coach Steve Malum, who made sure that his men kept the pressure on the much bigger Aus tralians. With only minutes to go it was still anybody’s game. Port Moresby led 24-22; then a high bomb, kicked with pinpoint accuracy by Port Moresby, landed over the Australian goal line. In the scramble full back Mathias Kitimon plucked the ball from the arms of a Giant to score the try that put the result beyond doubt.

Port Moresby had scored the first try of the match when, at the 10-minute mark, hooker Michael Matmilo backed up a good run to touch down. Then the Gold Coast, with plenty of possession, mounted raid after raid on the Port Moresby line, only to be driven back by fierce tackles that picked the towering Aussies up and drove them headlong into the ground.

On the comparatively few occasions that Port Moresby had the ball they were spectacular, whipping it along a backline that including lightning fast Clement Mou, Mea Morea, Arnold Krewanty and Joe Ben. Their running and passing often left the Gold Coast men bewildered. In the forwards, none played better than the Kouoru brothers, Haoda and Gideon.

The 8000-strong crowd went home after the match convinced that the PNG Ku muls, sure to have a strong Port Moresby representation, would give the Australians a match to remember. □

The action had the 8000 spectators roaring for more.