Sellout crowd expected for final

Posted by The National

THE National Football Stadium is expected to be filled to capacity when the Lae Tigers and Hela Wigmen meet in the Digicel Cup grand final in Port Moresby on Sunday.
Sections of Lahara Avenue and Bisini Parade will be inundated as supporters of both teams look to secure a spot in the 15,000-seat stadium ahead of the 3pm kick-off.
While the fanfare is brewing in the lead-up to the country’s showpiece sporting event, Tigers coach Stanley Tepend and his Wigmen counterpart Andiki Andrew are quietly plotting their return to the hot seat as Digicel Cup premiers.
Minor premiers Tigers, who are coming into the match off a week’s rest, last won the competition in 2017 and underdogs Wigmen are looking to break a five-year drought.
“We have come the easy way while the opposition have come the harder way. We respect Andiki and his players for that,” Tepend said in Port Moresby yesterday.
“Our preparations have been good. Several of our players have recovered from niggling injuries and are ready for the game.
“The Wigmen will have huge big support which they will use to their advantage. But we are focusing on ourselves and our preparations. This is a complete different ball game and we need to be ready.”
Andiki said: “We started the season badly. At one stage, we were second from bottom but we climbed to the sixth and sneaked into the top-six finals.
“I brought on board former PNG Kumuls rake Charlie Wabo to assist me with a number of structures that were are incorporating in our game.
“Wabo has inspired our players to perform at their best.
“We respect the Tigers as they are one of the top teams in the competition. We’ve come this far through discipline and commitment and I thank the Lord for his guidance.”
Tigers vice-captain Enoch Sine said they were looking forward to putting in performance worthy of winning the premiership.
Injured Benjamin Hetra — one of the surviving players from the 2014 premiership-winning season — is in contention to play, provided the Wigmen captain passes a medical test.


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