Vakatalesau, Kainihewe and Naika out

Osea Vakatalesau

Three senior Ba players have failed to make the cut for the 2013 Fiji FACT.

Out of the 22-member team are striker Osea Vakatalesau, defender Malakai Kainihewe and midfielder Kiniviliame Naika.

Ba team manager Arvin Singh said they were forced to include their under-20 players because of injuries to the senior reps.

He said the team had not camped for this tournament.

“We have had too many camps this year because of the Oceania Champions League commitments,” Singh said.

“The players have been going through normal training each afternoon. We have roped in Manasa Nawakula Junior and Narendra Rao from our U20 team to fill in for the injured players.

“Ba takes development seriously and this is why we give the young players a chance to participate in tournaments.”

Ba lost to Suva 0-1 during the final last year. The Men in Black last won the title in 2010.

Singh said they were looking forward to playing at the ANZ Stadium.

“It will be different playing on the new surface,” Singh said.

“The ball control by the players should be better. We will not underestimate any team.

“The aim is to overcome our first hurdle and that is the match against Nadroga. They have given us a tough time in previous tournaments.”

Ba will face Nadroga at 3.45pm tomorrow.

– FIJI TIMES

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