Eagles soar over Wigmen

The Wamp Nga Mt Hagen Eagles upset the Kroton Hela Wigmen with a 12-8 win in Round 12 of the Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup (CEM CUP) on Sunday, 5 July 2026, at Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby. 

Wigmen turned the heat up and opened the scoring in the 6th minute following a short-side play, with center Shadrach Walo registering the first 4-pointer, but five-eight Lote Kuman failed the conversion, leaving the score at 4-0.

The Eagles hit back in the 13th minute through prop Jordan Pat, who received a short pass from the lock-forward and ran through the gaping hole to put down an untouched try under the posts, and led the contest 6-4. 

The Hela men received a shoulder charge penalty from Hercules Kondo inside the Eagles’ 20-meter line and opted for a 2-point penalty conversion, with Kuman equalizing the points on 6-6 at halftime. 

After the break, the Eagles were penalized in the 55th minute by a high tackle from Jordan Pat, and the Wigmen decided to take a penalty shot, leading the visiting Western Highlanders with an 8-6 points.

With only 2 points separating the two sides, the Western Highlands men scored a match-winner through substitute utility Semion Tamai and stunned the Wigmen in the nation’s capital.

Hagen Eagles coach Henry Wan said the team had struggled to win games in the opening rounds of the season, but has slowly found its rhythm, pulling off a string of consecutive wins to keep their finals hope alive.

“We started the season poorly, struggling to get the win in the first four rounds, but at the backend of the first round, we picked up our momentum,” he expressed. 

“So, it’s good to get a win in the second round. This win is a boost for the team. We will build on from here to play consistently and win more games.”

Wan mentioned that although he was pleased with the victory, he noted that there’s more work to be done to refine the team’s attacking structure and completion rate.  

“We got the win, but there are areas that we still need to work on, which we will review and polish up in our next match,” he said.

“Our attack did not click, and our completion rate was poor, but our boys held on, especially our goal line defence was strong, so we came out the winners at the end.” 

Coach Wan fielded a young side this season, including players from the PNG NRL Academy and National Youth Competition, praising the national governing body. 

“It’s been tough in the pre-season and coming through the opening rounds, with the players still learning and trying to meet the DEM Cup standard,” he said.

“Credit goes back to the PNG NRL Academy for building this foundation for us and making our job easier because most boys are very young, who are in their early 20s. 

“Rugby league is complicated, but because the boys have come through the academy, it’s easy for us to coach and impart our knowledge to the players.” 

Opening the second round of the DEM Cup with a win against the Wigmen, the Mt Hagen Eagles are energized to host the Bintangor Goroka Lahanis on Saturday, July 11th, at Jonah Ambane Oval in Minj, Jiwaka Province.