POMRFL 9s set to start

THE Port Moresby Rugby Football League (POMRFL) pre-season nines tournament is set to start on Friday with 44 teams expected to participate across men’s and women’s divisions.
POMRFL administrator Meke Maino told The National yesterday that pool games would be played at the National Football Stadium (NFS) from Friday to Sunday with finals to be played next weekend.
Maino said the men’s division would have eight pools with four teams in each pool while the women’s division would have two pools with six teams in each.
“We were supposed to start last week, but there weren’t enough teams for the women’s pool that is why we had to delay the tournament by a week,” he said.
“We are encouraging the 12 clubs in POMRFL to prepare their women’s side so that we have full participation.
“For the men’s division, the 12 POMRFL clubs will field in two teams each so we will have a total of 24 teams.
“We are inviting teams from outside to register and fill in the remaining eight spots.
“We are also sending invitations to Port Moresby-based Digicel Cup sides in Vipers, Wigmen, Isou and Dabaris to register a team each if they wish to. “If they are not interested then they are invited to at least come and observe as there would be a lot of exciting talents on show during the tournament.”
Maino said registrations for each POMRFL side was K400 and if a club was to put in two teams then they would pay K800.
He added that invitational teams would pay K800.
Maino said the league had allocated K20,000 to run the tournament.
“The money allocated would be used to meet costs like payments of referees, supplying water bottles apart from awards and prizes,” he said.
Maino said supporters of the teams and crowds would be allowed in following the approval of the Office of the Pandemic Controller.