Investments crucial

GREETINGS to all our rugby league family and welcome to our first edition of “Fulltime Reserve”, a weekly column to discuss all matters rugby league in our favourite newspaper The National.
Why call it the “Fulltime Reserve”? For those who played rugby league in the earlier days, fulltime reserve was an unpleasant tag that referred to someone who was not able to make the playing 17 during a game even though he or she trained with the team or even when they were picked as part of the playing 17 team but never got actual game time. As a player, fulltime reserve was a tag we did not envy.
However, with the changing sporting landscape and the growth of rugby league from part-time to professional sport, there is a greater appreciation of the fact that to get the 17 athletes onto the football field to play 80 minutes, requires many hours of investment and hard work by many people in different specialities, who do not actually get on the pitch.
The title “Fulltime Reserve” is an acknowledgement of these many professionals, corporate and civil society partners, technical officials, volunteers and the many other important stakeholders in the game who contribute immensely to the growth of rugby league into a professional sport and industry contributing to the socio-economic development of our country.
It is my hope that through this weekly column, I can share with you some insights on the important activities that happen beyond the footy field to ensure our sport and the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) continues to grow so that the results we see on and off the field are sustained and improved into the future.
In this article, however, we will provide an update to all our stakeholders on the impact of the coronavirus on our 2020 calendar of events.
In response to the pandemic, the PNGRFL made the unprecedented decision to suspend all international and domestic rugby league competitions until further notice. This decision was in line with international and domestic advice from our partners and authorities to control the spread and impact of Covid-19 and to protect the health and welfare of all our players, officials, supporters and their families.
On Wednesday, the SP Hunters, who were under quarantine for 14 days after their return from Brisbane, were released from isolation after clearance from our medical team. They have been allowed to join their families with strict guidelines on the necessary protocols to protect themselves and their families from the virus.
We thank Dr James Naipao and Dr Gideon Kendino for their professional assistance in developing the necessary health protocols for the team and for all our other rugby league programmes in PNG.
We will discuss the details of the pandemic’s impact on the PNG LNG Kumuls, Oil Search PNG Orchids, SP Hunters, Digicel Cup, Coca-Cola National Schools Rugby League, our affiliate competitions, and all our other domestic and international rugby leagues programmes and tournaments in our next edition once PNGRFL has made some decisions in the next few days.
Until next week, may the grace, love and care of our Good Lord be with you.

Cheers,
Sandis