PAPUA New Guinea nines coach Michael Marum said his side was ready to take-on all-comers at the Pacific Games.
Marum, who takes his second-placed SP Hunters down to Queensland today to take on the Redcliffe Dolphins, said that the 13 players named in the Games team were excited at the prospect of playing for their country but he was keeping them grounded for the immediate job at hand this week — their Round 17 Queensland Cup fixture on Sunday. After the Redcliffe match, the Hunters will have the bye in Round 18, which will allow Marum to take his 15-man team into the nines competition which runs from July 11-12. Despite the Games fever hitting the country, Marum said winning the match and continuing the winning streak would be the priority ahead of their gold medal campaign. Marum said even though his players had not played the abbreviated format nor had he coached the style of game, he was sure the side would not have any problems adjusting to the speed and tactical requirements of nines. With the majority of players from the Hunters, the advantage Marum’s side has is that they have been playing and training since the beginning of the Q-Cup in March and have already played at the Sir John Guise Stadium besides being the home side. “I’m excited and honoured to be coaching the team,” Marum said. “It’s going to be a big challenge as the defending champions Fiji, Samoa and Cook Islands will be here with strong teams as well.” “Gold will not be easy to win and we will use everything we’ve got when we take the field but right now our focus is on this weekend’s game,” Marum said. “Everybody has been reminded that the focus is on this Sunday’s game against Redcliffe which we need to win,” Marum said. The National
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Pacific Games News & ResultsThis page brings all the latest Samoa2019 Pacific Games and news. We will also bring result updates as the games progress.
Pacific Games News Headlines
Participating Countries
|