Parents must be ready to en­courage their children to prosper in sports, and this is the case for Jioji Vuakaca (Snr), who strongly believes that his son can help Labasa win the Extra Bat­tle of the Giants tournament.

Speaking with SUN sports, Vuakaca Snr, tells of his pride in watching his son and namesake Jioji Vuakaca Junior, play for La­basa.

Vuakaca Jnr, who is the third­ choice goalkeeper for the Labasa men’s football side, is another im­portant asset to the side preparing for the three-day Battle of Giants (BOG) tournament’s group match­es, which starts on Friday at Sub­rail Park in Labasa.

“My son is a secret weapon that could be utilised in the B.O.G,” Vuakaca Snr said.

“Junior can go a long way in help­ing Labasa win the B.O.G crown on home soil.”

Vuakaca Snr who is the vice-pres­ident of the Macuata Rugby Union (MRU) was watching his son play in their 1-0 win over Navua in last Sat­urday’s Extra Premier League.

He said his son was away from the team due to work commitments.

“Junior was a Fiji Under-20 goal­keeper and has a talent especially in guiding his defenders,” he said.

Vuakaca Snr reiterates his appre­ciation towards the Labasa football management and coaching panel.

He said discipline and game man­agement would be crucial when it comes to playing against Ba, Na­droga and Lautoka in their group matches.

“We can win the tournament we just need to be focused and play as a unit,” he said.

Soft-spoken Junior said he wants to help Labasa win the B.O.G title at home.

“I want my father to be proud of me when I’m with my teammates as we lift the B.O.G crown,” he said.

Labasa football men’s coach, Alvin Chand, said Jioji Jnr made a lot of good saves against Navua.

Chand said the young goalkeeper is capable of making good deci­sions, when to throw the passes and when to make those crucial dives to win games.

“He will make a difference on the field every time he is given an op­portunity,” the wily coach added.

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