Simran Chand 
supplied
A huge amount of time and commitment have been invested by the Navua 40s Combine Masters squad for the ongoing Battle of the Giants veterans tournament, with players travelling from as far as Suva and Lautoka just to train in Navua.
Their dedication bore fruit today as they secured a 2-0 win over Nasinu Legends at the Uprising Sports Centre in Pacific Harbour.
The goals were netted by Avinesh Prasad and Valerio Nawatu.
Navua’s lineup boasted a number of former national and district representatives, including the likes of Taniela Waqa, Pete Erenio, Valerio Nawatu, Semesa Nakosia, Usaia Tadu, Rohit Chand, Nilesh Prasad, Samuel Vula, William Danford, among others, bringing a wealth of experience to the pitch.
Navua official Jim Maiwai says that results during the previous Fiji FACT veterans tournament weren’t as planned but the team managed to regroup and focus on the positive results this time around by putting in the hard yards.
“The main challenge we faced was getting the boys together to train. Some travelled from Lautoka and Suva, while others had work commitments. But we made it work, training after hours to build a strong team.”
Maiwai says they aim to slowly build momentum game by game and not rush anything to affect the dynamics of the game.
He also spoke about the impressive fitness levels displayed by some veteran players, noting that teams like Suva and Nasinu include individuals with peak fitness who are truly raising the bar in the over 40s division.
In other results, Rewa 45s masters beat Navua legends 4-0, and Nasinu 45s masters won 3-0 from Lami legends.
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