So the PNG Kumuls have gone down to the might of Australia, and the final score was PNG Kumuls 14 Prime Minister’s XIII 64, but it certainly wasn’t all doom and gloom.
Most knew the PNG Kumuls were not only going to lose, but heavily so before the game, what else could be expected when a side of only second tier players are selected to face an NRL standard side.
And if one looks at the final score of PNG Kumuls 14 Prime Minister’s XIII 64 without watching the game, they may jump to conclusions, and miss the good points.
As ever, as blatantly one-sided PNG rugby league fans, we are going beyond the result with a few thoughts on the game, and some positive for PNG rugby league fans to take from the international match.
PNG Kumuls 14 Prime Minister’s XIII 64 Summary
KUMULS MAGIC THIRD QUARTER
Looking past the final score, the Kumuls had a golden period from just before half time until the 64th minute PNG outscored the Prime Minister’s team by 14-0. Not only that, you could argue they were the better team. And not forgetting a fourth try was scored but overruled by the video referee. That would have made the score 38-18 with a kick to come.
Not only were the Kumuls at their sharpest in attack, their pack mentality in defense was causing problems for the Australian side, and forced more errors than you would expect.
So before all the doomsayers look at the final score and draw their conclusions, take a look at that first 20 minutes of the second half, as a much depleted PNG side matched it with the might of some of the NRL’s best. Not forgetting that some of their opponents were stars of State of Origin, no less.
KUMULS DISCIPLINE MUCH IMPROVED
Lack of discipline has been a let down in so many games for the Kumuls and PNG Hunters in recent seasons, but on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium it was much improved, and fair to say excellent.
The penalty count for the Kumuls was just two against the Australian side last night, which is several less than most PNG games we have seen.
Sure the referee may have put the whistle away a little, but that didn’t stop the Australians conceding seven.
Errors too have been a problem for PNG sides in the past, but last night saw the Kumuls outperform the Australians also with a 10-8 count.
Not bad going for a very under strength side with apparently no hope and against NRL stars.
FORGET THE DEFENSE FOR A MINUTE – PNG LOOKED GOOD WITH THE BALL
On the back the improved discipline, the Kumuls had a little more ball than they have had against better teams in the past, and in our opinion looked quite good with the ball.
Sure, they didn’t trouble the Australians line for the whole match, but they did have periods of sustained pressure on the Australian line. The stats show they managed to force two drop outs from the Aussies, the same number the Kumuls had to do as well.
And take a look at the Run Metres v Post Contact Metres. The Prime Minister’s XIII thrashed PNG for run metres with all their line breaks (1,903 v 1,036) but it was much closer for Post Contact Metres (466 v 366). Looking as a percentage for post contact metres from total run metres – PNG did very well. Australia’s Post Contact Metre percentage was 24% while PNG was 35%.
Of course, a lot of Australia’s metres were untouched down the flanks, but still.
And not forgetting there’s still Justin Olam, Xavier Coates, Lachlan Lam and hopefully Alex Johnston to come.
And Rhyse Martin too, will add extra attack, and make the fringe defense that extra bit stronger too. Liam Horne for the Qld Cup winning Norths Devils is due to join too after missing Sunday’s clash.
All in all, there’s still plenty to come for the Kumuls.
PLAYER POINTS
Edene Gebbie – was very solid at fullback, and although he won’t replace Alex Johnston at fullback should he join the Kumuls for the World Cup, he is a must include for one of the wing spots. The first try was created by Gebbie finding that space out on the wing, and of course getting the right service. His kick returns were solid, he had PNG’s only line break of the match and topped the tackle breaks with five. He looked confident, so let’s hope he can bring back that Wynnum form of a few seasons ago.
Kyle Laybutt – once again did the job in the halves, and will be a very solid combination when Lachlan Lam joins him in the halves for the World Cup.
Sylvester Namo – A powerhouse performance from Namo who was in the thick of the action up the middle for the Kumuls. He topped the tackle count for PNG and with a 100% tackle efficiency no less. He was also one of two Kumuls to make 10 runs or more and had the third highest run metre total. Although no PNG player cracked 100 metres.
Judah Rimbu – He may be little is stature but he gave it everything against Australia. There were a few missed tackles, which one would presume will happen against the Australians, but he still made 19 tackles, which was more than several forwards. Easy to pick on the errors, but we thought it was a solid effort, and he did come up with a try assist, so he could be a good utility players at the World Cup.
Leon Undupia – Plucked the local competition, he is a great example of the positive from playing this under strength PNG side. Undupia showed little nervousness and had a red hot go at the Australians. He only made the one error, and made a few key tackles. He should have been rewarded with a try in the second half, but the skills on show to get over the line are worth remembering for the future. Wouldn’t hurt the Kumuls to take him to the World Cup for development. Or at minimum, let PNG selectors think about the local competition more in the future. NRL pathway starts from somewhere.
Nixon Putt – Always one of PNG’s best, and he put in another good shift for the Kumuls last night. Topped the Post Contact metres for PNG on Sunday, and made the second highest number of tackles, although there was quite a few misses.
And finally, PNG fans should be proud of all their players, it was a big effort to take on the might of a high quality combined NRL side with not one NRL player themselves. For over 20 glorious minutes the Kumuls outscored Australia 14-0, and that should be the take home point ahead of the World Cup knowing the Kumuls have their own NRL and Super LEague quality to come.
