Facts should trump emotions

WITH Port Moresby set to host three rugby league World Cup matches, sports fans in Papua New Guinea have expectedly high hopes for the national team. The consensus opinion seems to be that the Kumuls should be able to advance to the quarter-finals given who they will play in pool games – all of which will be at the National Football Stadium.
One issue of contention is on who should make the Kumuls team.
James Segeyaro, one of a small number of National Rugby League players with PNG eligibility, has made himself available to play for the country he was born in and for whom his late father, Iffisoe Segeyaro, represented in the 1980s.
Segeyaro’s declaration of his availability, made in a story run on the NRL website earlier this month, has generally not been welcomed by a good number of fans and some members of the PNG rugby league fraternity. Their reason is based on comments he made two years ago that he would not play for PNG again because of the way his father, a staunch schoolboys rugby league advocate, had been treated by the PNG Rugby Football League and the lack of recognition given to him posthumously. One cannot blame a young man for reacting emotionally.
Those comments may have got him off side with many passionate Kumuls fans who questioned his loyalty to PNG. But he was grieving at the time. To compound the situation, Segeyaro went on to represent the Australian Prime Minister’s 13 in their annual fixture in 2015, two years after he had been picked to play for the Kumuls at the 2013 World Cup (injury prevented him from travelling with the team to England). He has since become an Australian citizen given that he has lived in Queensland most of his life.
Segeyaro has said and done things during his professional football career that has drawn criticism and made him something of a polarising figure with fans – here and abroad – but one thing everyone should agree on is his talent and his ability as a footballer. That cannot be disputed. The facts do not lie.
He has not let PNG down, only because he has not been given the opportunity to play for the Kumuls.
Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, a case can be made for him as being the best PNG-eligible player in his position at hooker. Kumuls coach Michael Marum has already said he would pick Segeyaro if available for the World Cup.
Marum, who does not suffer fools, has made it clear NRL quality players get first preference, simply because they play at a higher level and if possible one should pick the best at all times. Unless a player’s presence in a team is disruptive, there should be no reason why that player is left out.
Segeyaro’s issue seems confined to the public domain, to the whims and vagaries of fans and observers. What really matters should be what he can do for the team, what value he brings?
One need not look far to realise his potential as a game-breaker and, dare we say it, leader in any side he plays for. If fans want to be critical of Segeyaro then they should also hold up to the same scrutiny the other overseas players who have made themselves available for this World Cup. David Mead played for NSW Country several years ago and stated that it was an opportunity he had to push for State of Origin selection and one that he was keen on taking. Should we question his loyalty to the Kumul jersey – after everything he has done for the team going back to the 2008 World Cup? Can anyone accuse him of being disingenuous after his inspirational performance against the Fiji Bati in last year’s Pacific test?
South Sydney’s Alex Johnston, who has actually played tests for Australia, has said he is happy to play for PNG at this year’s World Cup but playing for Australia has always been his first preference. Should the selectors ignore his services too?
In sport, the simple formula is “do what it takes to win”. Having the best team on the field to do the job should trump trying to please people, or be fair. Otherwise what is the point of competing?