Port Moresby’s home side the NCDC Vipers managed to find their footing yesterday, coming up winners against a determined Bintagor Goroka Lahanis side.
The opening match of the second round of the Intercity Cup competition saw the Vipers edge out the Lahanis in a two-point ball game.
The game started off strong with some rattling defense, when the home Side Vipers took the lead with a penalty conversion earlier on in the match,
The Vipers scored first through a passage of play by Shane Nigel with a show and go.
The Vipers extended their lead to 8-0 with a successful conversion by Ase Boas.
The second half saw the Vipers extend their lead with quick hands on the short side allowing Brendon Gotuno to dive over the try line, extending their lead to 12-0
The Lahanis had to score next and they did with Manu Solly fighting his way over for the team’s first try.
A successful conversion by Niki Hasu closing the deficit to 6 points
The Vipers were clustered in defense allowing an overlap on the short side, and Lahanis Sefa Dait strolled over for a try.
But the Lahanis fell short of a draw with the match ending 12 points to 10 in favor of the Vipers.
For the Bintangor Goroka Lahanis it is their second loss, but for coach Michael Moses, he says the team is playing catchup football and they need to start putting more points on the board first.
The Vipers managed to improve on their loss last weekend but it was a scrappy win with handling errors still dominant in their two-point victory, Coach Leonard Tarum still expects more from the team
