Muruks crowned Minor Premiers

The PRK Mendi Muruks held off the fast-finishing Kroton Hela Wigmen to a 36-26 victory in Round 18 of the Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup to secure the Minor Premiership title on Sunday, 16 August 2026, at Santos National Football Stadium.

With the minor premiership title on the line, the Muruks dug deep to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against a determined Wigmen, capping off the regular season with the minor premiership bragging rights. 

The ladder-leading Muruks capitalized on Wigmen’s errors in the opening ten minutes, with winger Jamie Puk scoring the opening try and lock Jeremiah Ronald bagging the second try. Half-back Francis Sam converted a goal, leading the Wigmen 10-0.

Unfazed with the 10-point margin, the Wigmen responded with back-to-back tries through wingers Starford John and Benjamin Tony. Blacky Anthon nailed the two tries, leapfrogging the Muruks with 12-10.

The Southern Highlanders swung the momentum in the last ten minutes of the contest, with rookie winger Makati Kongo registering two tries. Chief playmaker Sam Francis nailed only one conversion, retaking the lead on 20-12.

At the resumption, the PRK-sponsored franchise went firing on all cylinders, with veteran center Levai Andrew crossing over the line and Kongo scoring two tries, increasing the lead to a huge 36-12 margin.

The Hela men refused to throw in the towel, with Ferguson Joe scoring under the sticks, followed by Joshua Andapi’s 4-pointer and McKenzie Karap’s try. The Wigmen nearly stole the win, but time caught up, with the Muruks holding their nerve to secure the minor premiership trophy.

Mendi Muruks’ coach Roderick Puname stressed that their focus leading up to the final game of the regular season against the Wigmen was not about winning the minor premiership title, but to honor the club's legends.

“Our focus this weekend was not about the minor premiership; it was our legends’ round. We are one of the oldest clubs in the competition, so our focus was coming out here and representing the legends. To win the minor premiership was the icing on the cake,” he said.

The Muruks boast talented players across the board this season, with the coach saying: “We’ve got the luxury of having a lot of good players on our side, so that creates the opportunity to rest a few players and try new players.”

Coach Puname heaped praise on the booming winger Makati Kongo, who scored four tries and secured the Man-of-the-Match honors to cap off the normal season on a high note.

“He is a young boy. We scouted him straight from the Mendi League, who made his debut this year. It’s good for him and his confidence heading into the finals. I’m proud of what he did today,” Puname said.

The Muruks’ mentor mentioned that they have been playing in the finals consistently but failed to secure the elusive silverware, with the club aiming to go one step further and clinch the coveted trophy.

“We’ve been in the finals a lot. The challenge for us now is to learn from all those experiences and get it right this time. That’s the key message we will be emphasizing in the finals,” he said.

Despite the win, he admitted that there’s room for improvement: “We slacked off a bit and took the foot off the gas in the last 20 minutes of the first half and the 10 minutes of the second half.

“We can not do that in the finals, especially against the quality sides like the Kandes, Vipers, Gurias, or whichever team we will meet in the finals. We have to learn how to close out games properly and compete for 80 minutes.”

The PRK Mendi Muruks won the minor premiership title last season. They reached the grand final but lost to the Lae Snax Tigers. They are now in a similar position, claiming the minor premiership title and aiming for premiership glory. 

With the minor premiership title in the bag, the Southern Highlands franchise hopes to complete its mission by clinching the coveted premiership trophy and ending its 18-year title drought.