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Tonga ready for PNG

The Tonga rugby league team is optimistic of taking out the Papua New Guinea Kumuls in this Sunday’s test match at the Lae rugby league ground.
Despite a hot sunny day in Lae, the Tongans were out in full force during training at the Lae Secondary School.

Meanwhile, the Kumuls arrived today in Lae and also went in for their first team run at the Lae rugby league grounds.

The Tongan outfit this year comprises mostly new faces apart from the 2013 Rugby League World Cup team. They are overseas-based players from the NRL and the New South Wales cup in the Australian rugby league.

And into their third day in the camp together, the Tongans are not only looking at defeating PNG on home soil but also try PNG’s aggressive football.

Tonga is a nation where rugby union is its national sport, however it has been able to produce some of the best rugby league players to Australia and New Zealand. A rugby-mad nation, Papua New Guinea passionately describes the sport as the greatest game of all.

The Tongans, however, won’t bow down to PNG’s aggressiveness in rugby league, but will give their best win against the Kumuls. In 2009, the Tongans led by Faleti Mateo were defeated 44 points to 14 by the Kumuls during the Pacific Cup in Port Moresby.

Banking on experiences from the Intrust Super Cup in Queensland and the Digicel Cup, the Kumuls will maintain the ‘never say die’ attitude. After a thrilling warm-up match last Sunday against the Australian Prime Minister’s 13, the Kumuls will look at giving their visitors a good run for their money.

Mark Mexico, Thompson Teteh and Jason Tali are just a few of the many promising players in the Kumuls line-up. With a home-crowd advantage, the Kumuls are expected to dominate ball possession throughout the game.

Both teams will be training in Lae for the remaining days before kick-off this Sunday. The Kumuls 17-man squad is also expected to be announced in the next couple of days.

PNG Today/EMTV

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