By Shane Saroya – EMTV Sports, Port Moresby The Kumul Petroleum NGI National Soccer League Conference was a surprise success at the start of this season and has gone a long way towards restoring domestic sporting weekends in the eyes of the football fans in PNG. Now the serious business of qualification for the stage 2 of the NSL play-offs is about to get underway with big story-lines starting up all over the country. The Islands Conference West Tribe and Chebu AROB were the heavy hitters likely to make it into the later stage of the regional challenge in which they did, but with West Tribe bowing out in of the competition to Hekari United, the onus now is on Chebu. Kumul Petroleum National Soccer League – New Guinea Islands Conference coordinator, Tonga Esira said: “Last week we had West Tribe FC coming here and we are very impressed with their performance, 2-0 is not a bad result and FC AROB had arrived today, we trust them to put up a good show tomorrow against the Eastern Stars FC.” Chebu AROB have been experiencing a new start in football lately, with exceeding expectations in the NGI Conference and then casting aside clinical challengers and topping the NGI Points ladder whilst qualifying for the knockouts is an achievement not only for the club and the people of Bougainville but for the entire Islands region. “West Tribe not only represents West New Britain and Chebu AROB representing Bougainville,” Esira said. “They are representing the whole of NGI Conference and the whole of NGI Conference is behind the two teams, we had one match played already and we wish FC AROB all the best in tomorrow’s match against Eastern Stars.” Meanwhile, the semi-professional league has created an interesting dynamic that hangs over this qualification tournament, with predictions already made nobody is entirely sure of how it will play-out on the pitch tomorrow. “Most of the players it’s their first time to play in this level of tournament and I think few of them it’s their first time to fly over to Port Moresby, first time on the Airplane too but it wouldn’t be an issue because watching them how they play in the NGI Conference, they are very good players they have good coaches and most of them are very excited to be playing in that level of competition so I believe they will deliver tomorrow,” Esira concluded. Three teams: Hekari United, Toti City and Morobe United — have already secured passage, and either Eastern Stars or Chebu, will learn their next destination and opponent after tomorrow’s decider at the PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby at 3pm. ]]>
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