League chief critical of Kumuls, coaching

 By JACK AMI

GULF Rugby League president Jacob Ivaroa has expressed disappointment with the Team Kumuls management after the 50-10 loss to the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII on Sunday.

Ivaroa said the decision to leave the country the next day by Kumuls coach Adrian Lam and Team Kumuls director Mal Meninga sent the wrong message to the league fraternity and fans.

Ivaroa told a press gathering in Port Moresby yesterday the Kumuls deserved better than that.

“The Kumuls are a proud side and not to take the time to assess the performance afterward and be answerable for such a loss was not a good sign by management,” Ivaroa said. 

He said the Kumuls trials the week before gave a clear indication the side would struggle in Kokopo.

He asked whether any real progress had been made with the players in the Kumuls camps.

Ivaora called for heads to roll and that it would be better to have a local coach who could understand the players better. 

“This is not a testing time, the Australians came here with a near full strength team and knew exactly what they were doing,” Ivaroa said.

He said  the PNG coaching staff should have prepared properly and picked an injury free team with players playing in their proper positions.

He said developing the country’s best league talent was obviously a task that needed full commitment by the coaching staff.

“We can’t have this fly-in and fly-out arrangement. It is not working.”

He called on PNG Rugby Football League board chairman Don Fox  to provide a full report to stakeholders and the public on the progress that has been made by Team Kumuls. 

Ivaroa disagreed that the Kumuls needed a complete overhaul of their style. 

“We play our own style of football and it is ingrained in us and that should be maintained instead of changing it,” he said. 

Ivaroa said the side did not look balanced.

“The fact is Jessie Joe Nandye is a five-eighth so why play him in the centres and the same applied to Israel Eliab, Paul Aiton, Charlie Wabo and James Segeyaro.