Muruks fined for breach

THE Mendi Muruks have been fined K20,000 by the PNG National Rugby League Competition for wearing an unauthorised uniform in their round 18 Digicel Cup match against the Gulf Isou last Sunday.
PNGNRLC board chairman Adrian Chow in a letter to the Muruks informed them that they had considered the circumstances surrounding the team’s decision to wear a different uniform to their sanctioned team strip and found the explanation unsatisfactory.
Chow said his board had considered the response by Muruks franchise manager James Hun “intentionally misleading” and did not state the “true reason and/or nature of the incident”.
The PNGNRLC found the Muruks had breached clause 13 of the participation agreement which was that: “The club must ensure that at competition matches its players wear only team apparel registered with the PNGNRLC or within 14 days sought approval from the general manager prior to use.” The PNGNRLC said it had testimony from the Muruks team manager that the playing gear had been “hijacked” by a player before their flight from Mt Hagen last Friday.
The PNGNRLC fined the club K20,000 to be paid before Septmeber 2.
The statement said that failure to pay the fine would result in the board not considering Mendi’s application for inclusion in future seasons. “Our board is of the view that the incident points to serious management issues and the attempt to mislead the board was to avoid responsibility.”
The PNGNRLC described Muruks’ conduct as “unprofessional and showing a lack of understanding of the seriousness of the matter and the possible consequences from the breach of our contractual obligations to the competition naming rights sponsor”.