Kumuls selection process queried

THE Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League policy of selecting players only from NRL, Super League and Intrust Cup level have made the Kumuls a competitive team at international level.
Regrettably this policy will keep many of our current Kumuls squad members out of contention from next year onwards.
Kumuls forward Wellington Albert will fall out of Kumuls contention because his club Widness Vikings has been relegated to the second tier competition for finishing last in the 2018 Super League.
Losing a player of Albert Wellington’s calibre will be a big hit on the Kumuls.
Apparently, it is not only Wellington Albert who will miss out, but brothers Ase and Watson Boas, Stragroth Amean, Tompson Teteh and Wartovo Paura Jr, all of whom have secured fulltime professional contracts to play in the second tier competition in England.
The Hunters is acting as a feeder club for the Kumuls, but if our Hunters players pursue professional contracts in a second tier club in England, that will affect the Kumuls in the long term.
The second tier competition in England is competitive, because the clubs are now recruiting experienced NRL players, and this is something the PNG Rugby Football League should consider and therefore revise the Kumuls selection policies accordingly.
Since PNG does not have a wide base of professional players in the Intrust Super Cup, NRL and Super League, the PNG rugby league should include England tier two clubs in the Kumuls selection criteria.
The PNG board must not prejudice our elite players in second tier competition in England, which is on par with the Intrust Super Cup in Australia.

Hunters Tok Stret