Justin Olam might be the most famous man in Papua New Guinea but Lachlan Lam showed why his surname still remains royalty in Port Moresby with a match-winning performance in a shock 24-14 win over Fiji.
Stuck behind first-choice playmakers Sam Walker and Luke Keary at the Roosters, the young halfback is yet to play an NRL game this season. But on Saturday night he produced a performance that more resembled his famous father Adrian Lam, scoring two tries and setting up another in the upset at Campbelltown Stadium.
Facing a Fijian side filled with big names from the NRL, the Kumuls showed why they could surprise a few people at the World Cup later this year with a superb defensive performance that would have impressed many of the more fancied sides at the tournament, including their group opponents Tonga.
It was a humbling result for a star-studded Bati and almost unfair on a young fullback who, along with Lam, stole the show. If the main attraction of the match was meant to be Fiji’s star from the Penrith Panthers, Bati fans didn’t walk away talking about Viliame Kikau. Instead, they were talking about a youngster from the Panthers yet to play a minute in the NRL. Fijian fullback Sunia Turuva stole the show with a commanding performance, scoring two tries in a near-faultless performance in the No.1 jersey.
Far down the pecking order of the Panthers’ seeming endless depth in outside backs, Turuva showed why it might not be long before he’s pressuring some of the best for game time. He was perfect under the high ball, ran for more than 230 metres, scored two tries and saved several others.
Fiji opened the scoring early in the first half when co-captain Kevin Naiqama scored from his own kick. PNG’s Daniel Russell fumbled Naiqama’s short kick and the veteran pounced on the loose ball to make it 6-0.
Lachlam Lam scored two tries and set up another against Fiji.Credit: Getty
After being on the back foot for 25 minutes, Justin Olam pulled the Kumuls back into contest. The Storm centre burst down the left flank, sprinting past two Fijian defenders to find Lachlan Lam on his inside to square the ledger.
Minutes before the break, PNG stunned Fiji to head into the break with the lead. McKenzie Yei smashed his way through the line, running straight over the top of defenders with a powerful try to put the Kumuls in front 12-6 at the break.
Fifteen minutes after the restart, Turuva pounced on a short kick from Taane Milne to pull the Bati back to within two points. However, scoreboard pressure failed to break the relentless Kumuls. Ten minutes from full-time, Lam turned provider for his captain, breaking through Fiji’s line to set up David Mead to score under the posts in his final international match.
In the dying minutes, Olam set up Lam with a clever short kick to seal the win before Turuva pounced on a kick in the final seconds to score a consolation for the Bati before the two teams celebrated together in song in the middle of the field.