Let Gene continue on as Kumul coach

THERE has been as excessive amount of criticisms levelled at the Kumuls team and management following their performance in the recent Four Nations.
I did not get to watch any of the games due to a heavy workload.
However, I saw the replay and was proud of the performance put up by our boys. 
Except for Paul Aiton, the rest of the Kumuls are amateur players and they were playing against millionaire professional sports stars.
As such, to rubbish our boys in such a manner is really silly.
I am a big follower of PNG rugby and I used to watch a lot of games in the 1980s and 1990s.
I remember some big names from the past, some of whom I admired but never made the Kumul squad.
But I still respected them. 
Back to the current team, I think the results could have been better.
But there were too much distractions and politics, and that ruined our chances long before the first kick.
This is not the first time the Kumuls lost by such a huge margin.
Why the fuss all of a sudden?
The only time we came within an inch of defeating the Kangaroos was in 1992 in Townsville under coach John Wagambie. 
The star of that game was magic man Aquila Emil who made Allen Langer looked like a novice. 
That team had a great build-up, preparation and Wagambie kept the boys focused unlike the current bunch.
Stanley Gene put his hand up to coach the Kumuls in the midst of the bitter wrangling and rugby politics and for that, he should be congratulated.
Gene has made significant contribution to the development and exposure of the Kumuls abroad than many others.
He was directly and solely responsible for Makali Aizue, David Yere and others now playing in England and promoting PNG there.
Although Australia is just a hop away, it is virtually impossible for our boys to play here for reasons only known to the Oz league fraternity.
Gene is a generous man in terms of time and experience he has committed to the game.
He is a true ambassador and he must remain as coach minus the politics.
I believe under him, the Kumuls will beat the Kangaroos, Kiwis and Lions one day.
Yes, I am an optimist.
I believe in the current crop of players from what I saw them inflicting on the highly fancied Kangaroos. 
A couple of them commented that our boys were hard hitters and I will take that comment anytime.

Okuk Mori Rogerson
Sydney, Australia