23rd September, 2017 – Brisbane

The 2017 Kokomos Nines Carnival promised much – and more than delivered.

With ten teams, including the inaugural winners, Owan Titans, previous champions CDMC and the visiting Port Moresby Vipers all vying for the right to call themselves 2017 Kokomos Nines Champions and the $5,000 ($AUD) in cold, hard cash for winning the tournament.

Logan Central advanced to the finals having beaten out the Mek Brothers, essentially a development team featuring up and coming Australian-based PNG rugby league talent. The young team, coached by Kokomos U18s Coach, Lee Sharp, surprised everyone by reaching the Semi Finals. Including beating the X-P-R-L Rams in the quarter finals. The Rams feature Intrust Super Cup players such as Kumul, Richie Pandia, and his brother Sebastian, who star in the Ipswich Jets team, as well as ex-Kumul hooker Benjii Johns.

CDMC had earned their place in the final by defeating the visiting Port Moresby Vipers team in a tight, try-for-try battle. CDMC had ex-Kumuls Steve Franciscus, Tommy Butterfield and Trevor Exton. That experience helped CDMC edge the Vipers out of their place in the final clash. The Semi-Final Match was a 24-18 win to CDMC.

Classy Logan Central, beat out the more experienced CDMC in the annual Kokomos Nines Carnival hosted by QLD PNG Rugby League. The event is designed to showcase and develop talented Rugby League talent and as act as a selection mechanism for QLD PNG Men’s Open team who will compete against other island nation’s in the upcoming Queensland Pacific Island Cultural Carnival (QPICC).

The final promised to be an absolute cracker, especially as the two teams had met in a pool match earlier in the day and the result was a 16 all draw.

And what a game! CDMC kicked off and Logan Central opened the encounter with an Anthony Seeto try off a superbly placed kick from LJ Waddups. From that point on the crowd were treated to a tit-for-tat try-fest between Logan and the previous championship winners. Logan was able to withstand the sustained pressure from a determined CDMC side to win the Final 32-28.

David Joseph, who plays for the Port Moresby Vipers, was voted as the tournament’s Best and Fairest by the referees.

Head Selector and Head Coach of the QPICC Men’s Open team, Elias Paiyo, said the announcement of the Men’s Open QPICC team will be made soon. He said his job as Head Selector is getting more difficult every year, especially with the emerging talent coming through, but believes that is a nice problem to have.

“What we are trying to do is develop PNG Rugby League talent and in turn that provides player depth. I have been very happy with what I have seen this weekend.”

For all the results: 2017 PNG KOKOMOS 9s Results