PNG rugby league: looked good; going nowhere
20 March 2010
PNG IS THE only country
on Earth that boasts rugby league as its national game. It may be the only country
in the Universe.
And last year, prime minister Somare announced that the PNG government would fund a bid for the PNG national team – the Kumuls – to join the Australian rugby league competition.
But you can’t buy your way there You must earn it; then buy it.
And earning it, for the Kumuls, would mean playing a few
years in a lesser regional competition – probably in
According to some observers, this PNG National Rugby League bid stinks. Australian league legend Mal Meninga, previously a strong supporter, is said to have pulled out.
It’s also said the Kumuls have no chance of making the NRL in the foreseeable future – but they have nonetheless managed to secure a bounty of K20 million. “To waste on a pipe dream,” said one critic.
Even the NRL’s bullish CEO, Geoff Gallop, has admitted the Kumuls will get nowhere before at least 2013. Then, maybe, an NRL slot. Then, maybe, an international ranking. Then, well, I’m running out of maybes.
Critics say the K20 million ought to go to developing the game in PNG - bringing on juniors, strengthening the local competition, building a corps of skilled administrators. Not lining the pockets of dodgy advisors who no-one ever heard of.
Meanwhile, the Kumuls have shown they can't even pay their hotel bill.
In a document leaked to PNG Attitude, a prominent PNG businessman says “you have forced me into the unnecessary and uncomfortable position of going public about the debt that the Kumuls owe to the hotel.
“This is not good when the Hon Philemon Embel is negotiating about PNG entering the NRL competition.”
It seems the whole enterprise, launched with such glory less than a year ago, is already falling apart. Despite the K20 million.
Sports Minister Philemon Embel has condemned the attack on a sporting official in Port Moresby last Sunday (2/8/10).
The incident took place at Lloyd Robson oval where match referee James Kaupa was bashed by an Enga Mioks supporters in the Bemobile cup match against the Stop n Shop Vipers.
With minutes left on the clock and the scores 11-10 in favour of the Mioks, referee Kaupa awarded a penalty in front of the uprights. This was when disgruntled supporters scaled the fence and went for the referee, bashing him and leaving him with a bloodied nose and a split tongue.
“For this sort of thing to happen in Port Moresby, the sporting capital, is totally unacceptable. We expect more from spectators,’’ Embel said.
“I call on all the supporters of all sporting codes to put a stop to this nonsense, and I am calling on the codes disciplinary committee to mete out the highest penalty available.
“People must begin to understand that there is always one winner. The outcome of a game must be respected whether a person’s team wins or loses,” Minister Embel said.
“There can never be two winners. It is time Papua New Guineans start accepting the decisions of referees. It is incidents like these that sometimes make me want to give up.
“As chairman of the PNG NRL Bid my board and management have been working hard to get the Australian public, their players and officials to change the negative perceptions and attitudes through the Bid programs.
“These people have a very strong view about the ability and capacity to enter the high profile competition, and it is incidents like these that push us back 10 years,” Minister Embel said.
“Violence should result in a team being totally suspended or individuals being completely banned for life.”
The Simbu Warriors were one team who served time in the wilderness after being suspended for a number of years from playing. They were re-admitted this year into the Bemobile cup, and know what the consequences are.
Posted by: Alfred Kaniniba | 04 August 2010 at 08:59 AM
The PNG rugby league story is the most negative story I have ever heard. Talk about armchair critic - wipe the grease off your chops and wake up.
Australia gave PNG rugby league back in 1930s whilst our troops were stationed in Kokoda. With all the assistance PNG gave to help our troops this is reason enough to help a country realise its dream.
A little support goes a long way. How about instead of sitting back and criticising you try to bulk up some positive standing. Good publicity can make all the difference. Give it a go.
Posted by: Anon | 03 August 2010 at 02:17 PM
Of course we love our rugby league and nothing is gonna stop us to play our footy, not even the ''going nowhere'' or more descriptively ''going nowhere in the universe''.
False! We Papua New Guineans are gonna live our footy dream, it doesn't matter if it takes 1 year or 10 years to achieve it and one day we will go somewhere in the universe.
Money doesn't kick the ball, it's you and your motivation. If you love R-league so much in the universe you will have to do it for rugby league to get a slot in NRL, not from money or comments or what ever you will dump it in the bin. Go now live your dream, we will, and yes we can.
Posted by: Ggmoore1 | 19 June 2010 at 01:04 AM
Rugby is a great game, a brilliant way to transform all your aggression to sports :)
Although, The PNGs people should join the world and choose the best sport -Soccer. it's very similar as you know, just less handy :)
Posted by: Ronaldo | 23 May 2010 at 02:54 AM
Hey Viagra, have you got anything interesting to say to our readers here on how PNG can improve on its Rugby League game and beat the Aussies in future? Will taking viagra help here?
Posted by: Mendi Muruks Fan | 13 April 2010 at 09:53 AM
What a waste of good PNG ATTITUDE space for Keith Jackson to allow this Viagra Online guy who doesn't have anything interesting to say about improving sport in PNG.
Wonder what Viagra does for him offline that he has to make some stupid online comment here. Get a real sporting life offline, Viagra
_______________________
There's nothing ''allowed" about it Mosbi Boi. As regular readers will know, such spam is removed as soon as it is detected - KJ
Posted by: Mosbi Boi | 13 April 2010 at 09:42 AM
I wholeheartedly agree and support Don Hook here (as a former player, administrator and fan of both union, league and Aussie rules). I also believe that the PNG government has been very hasty in pumping K20 million into the NRL bid.
If any value-added benefit is to be derived from government support, we should have instead used this money to help develop key sports in PNG like rugby union, Aussie rules and soccer besides focusing just on rugby league.
As both rugby union and soccer are 'world cup' stuff and we have some good players in these sports, the government should look at these two sports in future.
The NRL bid is somewhat complex. PNG has yet to build up its required depth in rugby league. We must work on the basics of reviving (as in previous years before and after independence) a good schoolboys' league competition, a suburban rugby league (off-season games) competition in main urban centers, the national South Pacific Brewery (SP) Cup competition and also have a very good board and league administration.
After having in place a good local/national integrated framework of league competition, PNG must directly link up with a strong North Queensland "feeder" club.
Here PNG need to constantly supply promising Kumuls at the top of their game in the national competition to try out in the tough Queensland rugby league environment.
The Kumuls will learn the fundamentals as well as the advanced levels of playing good rugby league in the state competition to condition and prepare well for other international matches before even looking further south to the NRL games.
Over time and after good preparation at all levels of the game, maybe PNG may improve its future chances of making a better packaged bid for the premier NRL matches in Sydney.
At the present time, PNG is not yet ready in all respects both nationally as well as at the strategic management levels to be in a good position to even make some sort of any bid now for the tough NRL competition in Australia.
Posted by: Reginald Renagi | 22 March 2010 at 12:46 PM
The K20 million would be better spent developing Rugby Union in PNG, and in helping the Pukpuks obtain a place in the forthcoming Rugby World Cup.
Rugby Union, unlike Rugby League, is a truly international game, and I am reliably told it is the Game played in Heaven.
Posted by: Don Hook | 20 March 2010 at 09:30 AM