Let’s ride on the wagon

Opinions / Analysis

RIDE or ride on, Labasa is the 2024 Inter District Champions.

A wagon of district diehards and neutrals are celebrating the district’s 5-3 final win against Navua.

While Labasa captivated the fans with its artistry, Navua had its moments of brilliance.

It was ‘Babasiga Lions’ desire and the shared experience that had them make the podium run.

Mike Jones Blueprint

Labasa’s footballing style falls on the back of Welsh­man, Mike Jones 1970s, blueprint, which is possessional football.

And while hordes of coaches and players have had stints, the district hasn’t changed its style of playing beautiful games and given the surface of the field at Churchill Park, they made every game fans delight.

The district verve comes natural, including those foreign footballers who quickly adapt with the style, and on an upside the team plays constructive football in  defeats.

They just make football a beautiful sport.

Churchill Park Misfortune

Jones was a player- coach in the 1973 team that lost to Lautoka 1-0 on a Nur Mohammed Lalla header at the very ground.

It was again at the same venue during the 1978 finale Labasa lost 7-6 to Ba in a shootout, with Robin Simmons missing the all important kick as captain Anand Sami wept in plain sight.

Lucky Charm 5-Decades On

After some 5-decades, Churchill Park turned out to be a lucky charm.

Backed up by raucous diehards Labasa took the game to Navua coast to coast in an enthralling football.

It was also a tense match-up with both the teams up on each other's case.

Labasa midfielder Akeimi Ralulu and Saimoni Damuni of Navua copped red cards in the second half, reducing the teams to 10 players.

Money Kick

After playing to a stalemate during the 120 minutes, Labasa finally buried the old hatchet at Churchill Park with a 5-3 shootout win in the grand finale.

Christopher Wasasala gave the fans all the reason to drum up, as they sang and danced to the roar.

The fans spilled on the pitch side to embrace their heroes.

Underdogs

Labasa triumphed over adversaries, as much of the negativity was directed at them on social media Facebook.

They played the distraction by the ear, and remained focused and steadfast.

For Labasa, it was also a redemption in the making following their 3-0 loss in the pool games.

Cautious Play

The fixture raised eyebrows among fervent fans who viewed it as a ‘fix’, and had Labasa won the game, Lautoka with a win and a draw would have qualified for the semifinals against Rewa.

Head coach Ravneel Pratap said a decision was made to rest five starters in their final group match.

"These five players were on yellow cards and could have missed the semi-final if they were booked again against Navua, it was a good decision,” he told one of the dailies.

But for Labasa and the fans it was just another game, what mattered was to believe.

Let’s Celebrate

For the champions it is all about identity, loyalty, and tradition.

And since red symbolizes celebration and joy, let’s ride on the wagon.