Goroka aim to revamp competition back to glory days

 By MALUM NALU

GOROKA Rugby League has this month raised K285,000 in commitments and pledges – K185,000 from the business community and K100,000 from Goroka MP Bire Kimisopa.

A dinner/auction night was held in Goroka for the business community earlier this month, where over K185,000 was raised.

Individual players and team officials were auctioned off on the night to various companies in Goroka.

Another Lahanis auction night will be held at the Dynasty Restaurant at Vision City, Port Moresby, on June 14.

Kimisopa last Sunday put the icing on the cake by pledging K100,000 to Goroka Rugby League, now under the chairmanship of Maxie Roida, at K20,000 over five years.

He said Goroka used to be the premier league in the Highlands, and in fact PNG, but had been slowly killed off by the inter-city cup without regard for the local competition as in other centres.

Lahanis players are picked out of the Simon Sia Cup, a four-week competition before the Digicel Cup kicks off, and after that there is no development of rugby league talent for the rest of the year.

“That has to change,” Kimisopa said.

Goroka Rugby League has, therefore, proposed that an “inter-district Eastern Highlands Independence Cup” be played during independence weekend, consisting of one team from each district. 

Kimisopa will be patron of the competition. 

Goroka Lahanis chairlady, Sarah Shelley, was rapt.

“This is an excellent initiative and I thank Kimisopa for your commitment over the next five years,” Shelley said.

“This concept overall will give rugby league in Eastern Highlands a revamp and create more community involvement.

“It will also create a win-win situation with a bigger better pool of top players from Eastern Highlands, registered to Goroka Rugby League, for our beloved Goroka Lahanis team to draw from and also great exposure of the talents for our Eastern Highlands upcoming young guns.”