Nene Macdonald fired Papua New Guinea to Pacific Bowl glory with a convincing 42-20 victory over the Cook Islands on Sunday morning.
Lining up at fullback, the natural centre continued his excellent form after a Player of the Match performance against Fiji in their opening game.
That means the Kumuls will now face New Zealand Kiwis in next weekend’s promotion/relegation match-up.
From minute one, Macdonald imposed himself on the contest and showed his running threat near the line, sending Elijah Roltinga over for the first try of the contest.
New signing, Esan Marsters was also in action against his soon-to-be teammate and produced a fine performance of his own.
On appearance number 10 for his country, the centre – also operating at fullback – combined with Steven Marsters to send his cousin sliding over in the right corner.
It wasn’t long until the Kumuls were back in control. Macdonald was at the heart of it and his powerful run from dummy-half caught the Cook Islands off-guard.
He followed up with try number two in the second-half, starting and finishing a quick break to extend what turned into a commanding Kumuls lead.
Marsters notched another try assist minutes from time with a classy grubber into the left corner – a snapshot of what he could bring to the Red Devils next season.
Ultimately, it was Macdonald and PNG’s day, with the 30-year-old picking up another Player of the Match medal for his 174 running metres, 11 tackle breaks and two tries.
