Phillip slams Lions’ critics

TNA Lions franchise owner Gerard Phillip has come out to clear the air on the relocation of his Digicel Cup side from Kundiawa to Port Moresby last year.
“The relocation was forced on us by the Papua New Guinea National Rugby League but we moved to Port Moresby and we believe this is in the best interest of the club, players and fans,” Phillip said.
“I support the comments by my colleague, Gulf Isapea chairman Jacob Ivaroa, on PNG Rugby Football League Joe Tokam’s outburst in the other daily last week.
“Tokam has no right to talk about the Lions as he has done nothing for the franchise or rugby league development in the Highlands and certainly for Simbu, where the league has been defunct for years on his watch as the regional confederate director,” the French-born businessman said.
“We should not be challenged by someone who has not contributed to support our franchises in the semi-professional competition,” Phillip said.
“For the record, I took up the challenge of entering a team in the PNGNRL competition when the previous sponsor for the Warriors refused to continue without a substantial contribution by the provincial government.
“After the first season, some people were vocal about wanting the Warriors back. I offered to quit and let them do it but nothing happened.”
Phillip said he spent at least a million kina on his franchise over the last five years up until they made the 2015 grand final against the Agmark Gurias.
He said he was proud of his club because they had been carrying the Simbu flag and had done their part to develop the province’s raw talent
“To say the people of Simbu have rejected the TNA Lions, coming from somebody who cheated a player of his rights to insurance payments after an injury is a reflection of somebody with no sense of shame, integrity or respect,” the franchise owner said of Tokam.
The Lions are based at 6-Mile, Port Moresby, at a private facility and will launch their 2017 Digicel Cup campaign from there.