Malta to play Lebanon in Sydney

Lebanon Cedars and Malta Knights are set to face each other at St Marys Stadium, Sydney on Sunday May 3.

The clash has been termed the ‘Battle of the Phoenicians’, reflecting the ancient heritage of both nations.

The game will count as a ‘home’ match for Lebanon, and Lebanon coach and head of performance Darren Maroon might be able to call on the services of several NRL stars.

West Tigers’ Robbie Farah, Parramatta Eels pair Tim Mannah and Reece Robinson and Reece’s brother Travis from Melbourne Storm have all apparently been sounded out as to their availability.

Malta may also be calling up Newcastle Knights’ Jake Mamo and Canberra Raiders’ Andrew Heffernan, as they look to prepare for their test match with Belgium in Leeds on June 21.

Malta coach Anthony Micallef will be continuing to coordinate the Knights’ overall strategy from his base on the island, so a coaching team of four Sydney-based coaches, under the overall control of team manager David Axisa, have been appointed.

“Our heritage programme in Australia has been working hard uncovering eligible talent playing in the NRL, the State Cups and the National Youth Championship (NYC) through to the strong district competitions,” said Micallef.

“I’m keen to monitor the players’ performances in this match as we have some important games later this year in Europe.

“It’s a good opportunity for one or two of the players to force their way into Euro C contention.”