Digicel Cup season gets thumbs up

Sports

THE Papua New Guinea National Rugby League Competition-run Digicel Cup was hailed a success under the chairmanship of Adrian Chow.
After the grand final between premiers Lae Snax Tigers and the Kroton Hela Wigmen at the National Football Stadium on Sept 8, Chow told The National that the season had been largely free of violence.
He said rugby league was improving at the semi-professional level.
“We are delivering the game to the people as a family-oriented activity,” Chow said.
“We are committed to making it a reality and that’s why we need to keep improving every season.
“Our partnership with PNG Rugby Football League and major sponsor (Digicel) has made it possible for the game to be where it’s at now.
“This season, we included two sides — Central Dabaris and Mt Hagen Eagles — to make it a 12-team competition and it wasn’t an easy season and competition to manage.”
The Tigers, who also won the minor premiership, bagged K65,000.
Chow said franchise owners had invested a lot of money and resources to compete in the Digicel Cup while also taking care of their teams’ welfare.
“Our naming-rights sponsor Digicel has again brought coverage of the matches to the rural areas of the country,” he said.
PNGNRLC manager Stanley Hondina said the Digicel Cup had improved drastically over the last two seasons because of the competition guidelines and rules.
“We need to keep it that way, and also change the attitude and mindset of players,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hondina says the issue of whether to increase the cash prizes will be discussed at the next board meeting.