Great year for rugby league, says Veratau

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HENRY MORABANG

PNG Rugby Football League has spent more than K1.4 million leading up to the South Pacific Brewery-sponsored Pa­ci­fic Cup in Port Moresby in October.
In interim as per National Court injunction, the incumbent PNGRFL chairman reflected on this year’s rugby league season stating that it would not be successful without the support of stakeholders and the corporate sector.
Veratau was embroiled in the case pending before the court regarding his tenure as the chairman of PNGRFL.
“Without their support, rugby league and the marketing brand, the PNG Kumuls would not have been successful in their endeavours, including winning the inaugural Pacific Cup,” he said.
He thanked the National Gaming Control Board for underwriting the Pacific Cup and minor sponsors Coca-Cola Amatil, bemobile, Air Niugini and Ela Motors, for providing the necessary support to the Kumuls’ campaign.
PNGRFL had been very single-minded and focused on building a rugby league programme that was going to culminate in winning the Pacific Cup.
“The sponsors are committed in pursuing the programme to ensure PNG become competitive in the Four Nations’ challenge next year and the World Cup in 2013,” he said.
Veratau commended the board members for sticking to the Kumuls development programme.
He said the sponsorship partners – Telikom PNG and Sun Engineering – had been supportive of the level of investments they had made towards the Kumuls.
In the semi-professional rugby league competition, bemobile and SP Brewery have invested significant amount of money in the bemobile Cup to support the development of the game in PNG.
He congratulated franchise owners, Civpac, Masta Mak, Ela Motors, SBS, Bintangor, ACTL and NGIP Agmark for their commendable effort in backing the teams in the high level competition.
Veratau said the K1.4 million was spent on the following matches:
l Residents Kumuls vs Northern Reds,  February, Cairns, Australia;
l Residents Kumuls vs Samoa Residents, March, Apia, Samoa;
l Residents Kumuls vs Fiji Bati, July, Mt Hagen, PNG;
l Residents Kumuls vs Fiji Bati July, Port Moresby ;
l Residents Kumuls vs Prime Minister XIII September, Port Moresby; and
l Residents Kumuls vs International Kumuls October, 2009, Hagen.