New bids brushed off

 By JACK AMI

CURRENT PNG National Rugby League franchises have slammed the increase in fees for new bidders in the Digicel Cup, describing it as daylight light robbery. 

This was in response to the announcement made by the PNGNRL administrator Stanley Hondina and chairman Sudhir Guru, who signed the letter delivered to the Central Chiefs and NCD Lagatois on Monday afternoon.

Hondina confirmed that the bids for NCD Lagatois, Central Chiefs and Simbu Warriors were unsuccessful but admitted their requirements made it harder for them.

A franchise executive of one of the returning teams said it was unfair for the three new teams to have paid K25,000 and were told they were unsuccessful without the entire nine-member board passing a resolution.

“This is day light robbery by the PNGNRL board, who has not met to discuss this as there was no inspections of the fields as claimed by the new franchises and also their guarantee of major sponsor backing their bids,” the franchise executive said.

“The three bidders needed to be treated better than that.

“PNGNRL should know that all the franchise owners and teams do not have a home grounds or fields but are using their local league their facilities.

“They (PNGNRL) cannot claim that the existing franchises have a home ground – that’s not true.

“Can PNGNRL confirm which of the nine franchises have their own grounds and the titles to them?”

According to Hondina, the two based Port Moresby teams are Vipers and Gulf Isapea but neither side have home venues.

Vipers were rejected by Port Moresby Rugby League because of the claims by National Capital District Commission and City Pharmacy Ltd’s ownership of the franchise.

PRL Board with the support of its 14 affiliates is trying to reclaim the Vipers. PRL board chairman Dr James Naipao said reclaiming the Vipers was not about money but for players to have a home ground and to train at a venue which belonged to them.