Church’s tenure remains

SP Hunters coach Matthew Church’s tenure ends after next season, with the Australian managing just one match in the first of his two-year deal, says an official.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Queensland Intrust Super Cup season was cancelled after round one in which the Hunters overcame Souths Logan in a Terry Wapi-inspired 32-30 victory in Brisbane.
With just one game being played this season, it was unclear whether another year would be added to the rookie head coach’s deal but Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) chairman Sandis Tsaka told The National yesterday that the Australian’s term would expire in October next year.
“It’s a two-year deal. Church is in Australia and has been unable to travel to PNG due to the restrictions on international flights,” he said.

When asked what the arrangement would be regarding Church’s engagement for the remainder of the year, Tsaka said: “Given the current situation, as part of this year’s revised work programme, PNGRFL is in consultation with Church about what the next six months will look like.
“We are working with Church to map out his responsibilities, deliverables and key performance indicators based on the revised 2020 programmes.
“These are important as we build for the future and the continued success of the Hunters. Obviously, Church will still be engaged but at what level will be confirmed this week as we finalise details with him and key staff.”
Meanwhile, Tsaka said despite the impact of the pandemic, the governing body remained upbeat about helping the sport overcome these unprecedented times.
“In 2013, we inherited a ‘sinking ship’ with many holes. We have had to plug some of these holes in the last six years as the ship continued to sail, making some of the work difficult while other holes are still yet to be fixed.
“The downtime (caused by Covid-19) gives us the opportunity to take the ‘ship’ to dry dock and undertake some good maintenance work before we can put it back to sea.
“There is a saying ‘never let a good crisis go to waste’, which means we need to see the opportunities the current calamity (as bad as it is) provides and PNGRFL is focused on building from the good results of the last six years to set the foundation for the sustained growth of our sport into the future.
“We acknowledge the continuing support of our partners and the entire rugby league family, and thank you all for your support and understanding as we navigate together through these difficult times.
“We are resilient and we will overcome this pandemic if we all work together.”