THE McDonald’s Nadi Women’s captain Laisa Seru has expressed disappointment after her side was held to a 22-all draw by Macuata Women in a thrilling Round Five encounter of the Subrails Marama Cup Competition at Churchill Park in Lautoka yesterday.
The result saw both sides share the spoils after an intense battle, but Seru believed Nadi had opportunities to secure the win.
“It was a very disappointing game. We could have done better than that and I thought we were a bit too casual with our hands in our 22-metre mark that allowed Macuata some tries,” Seru said.
Seru said Nadi had expected a tough contest, particularly given Macuata’s strong form coming into the match.
“We knew Macuata was going to come out stronger against us considering they came back with back-to-back wins in the last two weeks,” she said.
Despite the missed opportunities, Seru praised her teammates for showing resilience and refusing to surrender the match.
She said the draw reflected the team’s determination to hold their ground when Macuata applied pressure, especially during the crucial stages of the encounter.
Seru revealed that the match also carried special significance for the Nadi women, who dedicated their performance to the memory of one of the club’s founding figures, Seini Koop, who passed away a few days ago.
The loss had an emotional impact on the players, with Seru acknowledging that the team was still mourning the passing of a person who had played an important role in the development of women’s rugby in Nadi.
“I am so glad the girls did their all today,” Seru said.
“We lost one of our club founders a few days ago. We are mourning the loss of Mrs Seini Koop, and I think that played a bigger part in the morale of the girls today.
“But I am grateful the girls did not give away too much of the game. We held our fort and came away with a draw with Macuata.”
The Nadi captain will now look for her side to learn from the mistakes and return stronger in their next match.
