By Jonah KEI           Sports Tok Magazine Oline

 

Like they say two is better than one. In a sense of incorporating rugby union expertise with rugby league is what many people discourage as these sports may seem alike, but have different energy and taste to it.
Max Vali, a rugby union transition to rugby league early this year has proved beyond doubts that union players can do much better in the league field after scoring a try in the Digicel Cup grand final match to help his side, the Lae Snax Tigers to victory over the JPG Waghi Tumbe at the Oil Search National Football Stadium in Port Moresby.
It was a great honor for the 28 year old rugby material in winning the Digicel Cup premiership at the Papua New Guinea’s semi-professional rugby league competition in his debut year.
“This is my first year of playing rugby league and winning the grand final means a lot to me and I am really blessed with it,” Max Vali told the Sports Tok Magazine.
He said it was team work that brought him this far.
“If it wasn’t for the team we would not come this far, but credit to all the boys for committing their time and putting effort which saw us ending up with the Cup which many doubted?
Coming from the rugby union, especially 7’s background he defined league as; not really fast in the defense and attack whereas in Union is fast.
That is an advantage that he used to capitalize on his opponents during the season.
“It felt like I had much time to take a breath for a next set of play unlike in union where you will have little time to take a breath that you will already be exhausted and worn out,” he said.
Max Vali from a mixed parentage of Central (father) and mother from Madang and Sandaun in the West Sepik Province started his rugby career in 2011 with his local rugby 7’s club PC Ravens from the Papuan Compound in Lae at the Lae Rugby Union.
From there, Max joined the Lae Harlequins Rugby 7’s team in 2012, 2013 and 2014. He then debuted for the PNG Pukpuks in 2014 and appeared at the 2015 Pacific Games held in Port Moresby.
It was a great exposure and experience for the bloke while being in the national rugby union team.
After the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby, Max join the Morobe Hammerheads rugby 7’s team in 2016 and 2017 and campaigned for national provincial rugby 7’s championships.
Max was then at the prime of his rugby 7’s game so he decided to revive PC Ravens Rugby 7’s team in 2018 with other boys in the compound.