POMAFL’s Central tournament on cards

By ROBINSON LEKA
THE Port Moresby Australian Football League (POMAFL) will be looking to re-introduce the competition’s Central tournament following the cancellation of their season this week.
League president Douglas Lai told The National yesterday that the cancellation saw no matches in Port Moresby for the offseason, however, a tournament in Central was a possibility.
The competition announced an immediate season cancellation this week after ongoing concerns regarding the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and public gatherings at sporting venues.
“There are plans to reintroduce the Central AFL tournament and this will heavily involve POMAFL clubs and their players to achieve some success from the idea,” Lai said.
“Clubs will be requested to provide their talents and resources to assist Central villages and AFL teams to prepare them for the tournament.
“This concept will also help clubs and their players to prepare for the 2022 Moni Plus POMAFL season.”
Lai said the impact of Covid-19 on sporting events in the nation’s capital would not allow for offseason games with clubs and players urged to prepare for next season.
“As stated earlier, the decision to cancel this season has not been an easy one as the sacrifices by all of us are seen to have been wasted,” he said.
“I hope we all take into consideration that the pandemic situation is beyond anyone’s control and we have made a wise decision to help the code and its followers move forward.
“There are no plans yet for the offseason and, being mindful of the restrictions in place, we may have to wait for any easing of measures on gatherings of more than 20 people.”