Komes queries involvement of PNGRFU

By KEITH PUARIA
MADANG Rugby Football Union (MARFU) official Stephen Komes has questioned the direct involvement of the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football Union (PNGRFU) in the preparation of the Capital Rugby Union (CRU) team to the National Provincial Championships in Lae next weekend September 14-16.
Komes was referring to PNGRFU operations manager Sailosi Drumas part in the announcement of the CRU team in the other daily on Tuesday.
“From where we are standing it is bias by the PNGRFU. For PNGRFU to be directly involved, assisting CRU while other provincial unions struggle to prepare for the NPC 15s is not right,” Komes said through an email.
“PNGRFU must be independent of all provincial unions and provide equal assistance for the development of the code.”
Komes added that the general thought of other centres would now be that the majority of the National 15s squad will come from CRU, and that Lae was just a formality.
“MARFU requested assistance from PNGRFU but that fell on deaf ears.
The cost of 25-man squads from Madang, Goroka and especially Kimbe to travel to Lae is quite high, but is of no great concern to PNGRFU,” the former Port Moresby Brothers centre said.
He also added that teams expect to play provincial teams with their best players and that it was a shame that players from the POMRFU, Kavieng, Rabaul, ARB, and Daru would not be in Lae.
“What quality rugby are we expecting in Lae if we are going there knowing that some of the best players in the country are not eligible?”