League reigns despite Kumuls results

 PAPUA New Guinea’s first rugby league test against Fiji over the weekend ended in 22-10 loss that the majority of Kumul fans who were lucky enough to see it would describe as disappointing.

Make no mistake, this match would have been the most watched sporting contest in the country over the weekend with the Australia-New Zealand and Samoa-Tonga tests as well as the City-Country fixture the other popular choices for fans.

A Kumuls fixture would probably see the public opt to watch them then see a Pacific Games competition if both were scheduled for the same day such is the pulling power of the sport. 

The only other country on the same weekend that would have come to a veritable standstill for a sporting event was the Philippines for the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao “Fight of the Century” that probably did not live up to the stratospheric expectations but nonetheless grossed an obscene amount of money. 

The result was not disappointing because the Kumuls lost a close and winnable contest or were robbed by incompetent and biased officialdom or were blunted by injuries or had their wills and hearts broken by one match-winning play.

The overriding disappointment was that team did not play their best football and give themselves every opportunity for victory. But given the calibre of players picked compared to the opposition should the fans have expected more than what they got from them?

Certainly, the tactics used and the positional choices made by coach Mal Meninga in consultation, one would assume with assistant Michael Marum, were done with victory in mind but in sport there are no definites – even the “unbeatable” world champion  Australian Kangaroos found out the truth of this maxim the following day.

The Kumuls were their worst enemies, committing momentum-killing errors, many of them unforced, and shooting themselves in the foot every time something promising looked likely.

That seems to be their modus operandi. It is something that has left fans with a bitter taste in their mouths all too often because as much as they love their team they will not spare them their indignation, especially with mediocre offerings.

The Kumuls have won one “test” since the 2009 Pacific Cup. 

They beat Tonga in Lae last October. 

This is a record that is not flattering but since the cup, which was staged in Port Moresby over five years ago, PNG’s win column has been bare. 

Three losses at the 2010 Four Nations, unremarkable and un­accredited performances against a Fiji residents side, a loss to a second string South Sydney team in early 2013 and of course their struggles at the World Cup later that year. 

These returns are enough to turn any fan away from the sport and the team but year in year out the people continue to believe and hope that one day the Kumuls will finally give them something to cheer about when the final siren sounds.

League may not everyone’s first choice sport but there is no other sporting endeavour that galvanises and unites the people like the national rugby league side taking on the best the world has to offer. 

Other codes have had their national squads play over the last month and while there has been some coverage it all paled in comparison to the fervour that a Kumuls match can generate. Soccer, touch football, powerlifting, athletics, netball and softball all had teams or groups of athletes competing and although they may have their fans and followers none of these sports can dream of matching the passion that rugby league conjures up with ridiculous ease.

The Pacific Games in July will rival and surely eclipse the wave of patriotism and national pride rugby league seems to engender in the general populace.

The Games will see 28 sports competing so in terms of catering to everyone’s tastes they have that area covered. 

Rugby league nines will be played so the Kumuls, in one form, will be represented at the Games and it is good bet that it will be one of the most followed and attended competitions.