League banks on fans

THE much anticipated premier rugby league competition in the country, the Digicel Cup, kicks off this Sunday with round one matches in Port Moresby, Lae, Goroka and  Kokopo.
Matches are expected to be firy encounters especially with teams fielding new look sides and eager to prove their worth in top domestic competition.But with spectator violence and intimidation a factor at several venues last year the competition’s governing body has no plan to address the issue in 2012.
Instead Digicel Cup organisers have essentially left it to spectators to behave during matches. This is to encourage good behaviour with the initiative placed on fans to respect the sport and players.
Last year several matches played in Kundiawa saw visiting teams complaining of threatening behaviour and intimidation by home fans at Dickson Oval. Other venues including  Goroka, Kokopo and Mt Hagen reportedly had hostile crowds.
PNG NRL  general manager Hubert Warupi said at the Digicel Cup launch in Port Moresby on Wednesday that the overall level of violence in the game had decreased over the past decade with franchises and players adopting a more professional approach.
Heavier penalties for player misconduct and failure of host teams to guarantee safety on match day had also contributed to fewer instances of violence.
Kundiawa was scrapped as a finals venue last season due to violence.
Warupi said rugby league as a family-oriented sport was a major focus of the PNGNRL last season and this would continue in 2012.
“We’re advocating healthy values both on the part of players and the supporters and that therefore, no police or visible presence of any peace keeping force apart from the match officials and gate officials regular security will be seen at match sites,” he said.
“There will be the unseen hand of the Cup’s peace enforcers should worse come to worse, but so far the ball in the fan’s court looks like a good move.”
Warupi said however there were strict policies and strategies on how to manage teams, players and spectators and if any party stepped outside those bounds disciplinary measures such as bans, suspensions and fines  would be imposed.