Kumuls, Orchids are giant-killers

PAPUA New Guinea asked for an early Christmas gift, and our national rugby league stars delivered it in style.
We today proudly call the Kumuls and Orchids giant-killers.
In the men’s game, just a few short months ago, the rugby league world had only three giants – Australia, New Zealand and England.
Now all have been beaten by tier-two nations. Humbled, humiliated, disgraced.
Their cloaks of invincibility melted.
Lions coach Wayne Bennett, one of the more successful rugby league mentors in the National Rugby League, summed it up best when he pointed to the tremendous progress smaller nations such as PNG and Tonga are enjoying.
In other words, the rugby league field is becoming more and more level so to speak.
Just to get a better perspective of how far we have come, some of the local players can only make it to third-tier club teams in the British rugby league.
So one can see how high up the ladder a player has to reach to be selected for the Lions.
For the Kumuls in particular, the win on Saturday cemented their place in the top level of international rugby league. No longer minnows. No longer second-rated. They deserve to be respected.
We used to have a problem of being unable to stick it out, staying calm and grinding our way to victory when we are down in the early stages of the game. No more.
The Kumuls showed that at the Oil Search National Football Stadium on Saturday.
We have matured, thanks in part to the exposure some of our stars have been enjoying in top-level competitions in Australia and elsewhere.
And that’s the key right there. The more exposure our players can have in high-level competitions, the better for our national team and the development of the game.
Both in the men’s and women’s game, the national team players have benefitted a lot from playing overseas.
That is what our national league bosses need to focus on and invest in.
We had expected nothing less than a win on Saturday. And the manner in which victory was executed and achieved made it one of the biggest, if not the biggest, achievements by the national teams in the modern era.
We beat our chests with pride today for that.
Bennett agrees that his team had regressed during the tour down south, losing all their games. Of course the die-hard British fans will be calling for his scalp.
It was not his fault though. He has been slowly reforming the sport there. England reached the final of the 2017 World Cup. Development has not stagnated but moving up.
Agreed the Lions’ performance during their tour south had been below par.
They were on a three-game losing streak before arriving in PNG. And they scored only 22 points in those matches.
But that will not take away the sweetness of the victories on Saturday. Our players had the depth in talent, self-belief and confidence.
They can be as good or better than any team on this planet. It can be done. Yes we can.
Rugby league and sports in general have been a great unifying factor in the country. It has been a difficult year for many. The victories by our rugby league stars have certainly lifted our spirits as we head into the festive season.
A perfect Christmas gift.