Malolo steals it after the hooter

Defending champions Malolo snatched a dramatic 25-22 victory over Ba with the final play of their Skipper Cup Round Five clash at Churchill Park Ground Three last Saturday.

The Ben Tora-coached Ba side appeared set for victory after holding the lead late in the match.

But Malolo refused to surrender, keeping possession through several phases before crossing the tryline after the final hooter to seal a stunning come-from-behind win.

Malolo captain Imanueli Bari said the side remained patient and waited for its opportunity.

“We told the boys in the dying stages, when we were trailing behind Ba, that we had to wait for the moment,” Bari said.

“We took that last ball, had a couple of phases and it resulted in a try.”

Bari described the match as a tough battle and praised both teams for their effort.

“I thank both teams for their hard work. We were able to be successful with our objective,” he said.

The victory highlighted the character of the defending champions, who were pushed to the limit by a determined Ba outfit.

Bari said Malolo expected every team to lift its performance when playing the defending champions.

“We know all the teams will prepare well to face Malolo,” he said.

“I had a discussion with the boys that all these teams will bring their number one team. Ba gave us a good run.”

With Round Five now behind them, Bari said the team would return to the drawing board and work on areas that needed improvement.

“We will hit the drawing board before we play next,” he said.