Rigo are the new Under 21 queens in town after defeating Abau 26-19 in the 2023 National Netball Championships grand final yesterday at the Rita Flynn outdoor netball courts in Port Moresby.
Under the coaching mentorship of Iammo Launa giving pointers to the players, Rigo had to push themselves beyond their limits especially in defense as they led 7-5 in the opening quarter of play.
Leigh Vali (Rigo) and Wilma Polon (Abau) were kept busy at mid-court directing their passes as well as backing themselves defensively.
The duo’s efforts ensured it was a swift and free flowing match up for the goal shooters and defenders.
Abau manage to capitalize on loose possessions within the remaining minutes of second quarter as Jamie Alwin (goal shoot) and Inuva Simeon (goal attack) shared equal opportunities to score points.
Despite Abau trailing by a two points differential (10-12) at half time, their perseverance and tireless effort in defense gave them a good come back in the third and last quarter of play.
Rigo goal shooters, Namia Pokana and Joanne Oki stole the show in the final quarter by dominating every passes thrown in their favor and ensuring every point scoring opportunity within the baseline was accounted for.
Abau kept on pushing their way through towards the final minutes of play but they too fail to score points when they had the chance.
Abau netball association president Margaret Simon says she is still proud of her team’s effort and has made a strong call-out to Netball PNG including teams participating in the respective junior division teams to ensure they select players according to their age groups.
In the other junior division grand finals, Port Moresby Netball Association celebrated double titles after defeating Abau, 24-6 (Under 15) and Rigo (Under 17).
The senior’s competition is expected to start at 9am today.