A GUTSY first half performance propelled the Lomary Coastal Sharks to cause the major upset in round one of the Fiji Secondary Schools League competition.
The Rupeni Cokanasiga-captained side defeated secondary school rugby league heavyweight Suva Grammar Titans 18-10 in their under-19 duel at the Suva Grammar School grounds over the weekend.
Cokanasiga was the toast of the Lomary attacks, creating opportunities for his players to penetrate the Titans defence.
Tries to Cokanasiga and Vilimoni Naturaga boosted their confidence as they continued to hit the Titans with heavy tackles. Nippy fullback Melisio Batidua converted both tries for a 12-0 lead at the break.
The home team regrouped early in the second spell and crossed Lomary's tryline twice to narrow the deficit 10-12.
The Sharks began to lose the battle psychologically when the Titans opted to play frustrating football.
However, a simple mistake from the Titans proved costly. Cokanasiga was again in the thick of their attack allowing Uate Savu to put the nail in the coffin under the cross bar. Batidua was again on target with his conversion.
Coach Petero Tuisiga was pleased with his troops.
"I'm happy with the win but I think we still need to work on a few things. Our fitness is not really up to par and I believe we will get there as we continue to progress in the competition," he said.
Meanwhile, Ratu Kadavulevu School drew 12-all with Tailevu North College in one of the challenge matches on Saturday. Lomaivuna beat Navuso 16-8 in the other challenge game.