MGM eyes Raluve title

Mahatma Gandhi Memorial School U18 Raluve head coach Antonio Raboiliku says the disappointment of their U14 side’s loss motivated his players to fight harder for a place in next week’s final.

MGM defeated Adi Cakobau School 15-10 in the second U18 semi-final at the National Stadium in Suva last Saturday to secure their place in the final.

Raboiliku told SUNsports last Saturday, their team drew inspiration from the earlier defeat suffered by their younger teammates.

“First of all, we want to thank and honour the Lord for today’s performance. The team has come a long way, and looking at our U14 side’s loss this morning, I think it motivated the girls to work extra hard," Raboiliku said.

He said the players believed they could overcome the challenge and were rewarded with a place in the final.

“We believed that God would be with us, and that actually happened today," he said.

With the final now ahead, Raboiliku said the team would focus on correcting the mistakes made against ACS while building on their unexpected run.

“Right now, we just have to regroup and look at the errors we made today and try to amend them," he said.

He said reaching the final was already beyond the team’s initial expectations.

“We are patting the girls on the back because we were not the favourites, yet we have reached the final. We have gone past our objective this year, and we are fortunate and blessed to be in the final," he said.

However, he knows MGM faces a major challenge against Lomary Secondary School, which defeated them 18-0 during the pool competition.

“Oh yes, of course. They beat us during the pool game, 18-0, and they are the team to beat. We will just have to work hard and try to match their strength," he said.

MGM will be facing Lomary secondary school on Saturday at the HFC stadium.