The under-16 team from Ba Methodist High School utilized old tires and ropes for their training sessions in preparation for the Vodafone Super Deans tournament held last Saturday. Despite facing a tough Ratu Kadavulevu School team and losing 8-30, the players viewed the match as a crucial learning opportunity.
Assistant coach Paula Rokotuiloma expressed pride in the team for reaching the cup quarterfinals. “It’s a learning opportunity for us, and we will come back stronger next year,” he stated.
Rokotuiloma highlighted the many challenges the team encountered, which did not deter the players’ determination. “We didn’t have enough resources to prepare the boys. We had to improvise with materials available at the school like ropes and tires to get the boys fit. Our training was limited to just one hour every afternoon after school, which also included road runs,” he explained.
Despite this year’s challenges, he conveyed the team’s intent to strive for success in the future. They had previously achieved a victory over Natabua in the zone semi-final and finished second against Ba Provincial High School.
“This year was a challenging journey for us, but through the hard work of the boys and support from parents and guardians, we made it to the national quarter-finals,” Rakotuiloma added. Notably, this was the first time an under-16 team from Ba Methodist High School reached the national quarter-finals.