Witnesses give account at league judiciary hearing

GOROKA Rugby League judiciary committee sat last Wednesday to hear verbal witnesses’ ac-counts of the rioting that ended the league’s grand final match two weeks ago.
X-sol Country were leading 16-14 against Polis Dok United with only four minutes left on the clock when the fight erupted.
The fight began near the United reserve bench and spilled onto the field of play and around the arena.
Several people were later hospitalised with serious bodily injuries.
Police have been given names of several instigators with arrests yet to be made.
President Pat Siwi told The National from Goroka that the governing body, Goroka Rugby League, would deal with the matter and persons through its judiciary committee, within the sports jurisdiction.
He added that the perpetrators of the riot had no part in the sport and that their actions were criminal and a matter for the law.
Siwi also said the culprits were known to the victims, and should be referred to the law.
The incident had caused a senior sports administrator to call for a review of the grand final system, and the possible return to round-robin championships.
The administrator said the local leagues were not ready for it, as the organisers did not have the capacity to bring the situation under control.
Another senior sports official said the ‘sit-downs’ and the judiciaries’ way after the incident would do nothing for those who had already suffered the consequences of the riot.
“Let’s face the facts here, from that incident, people where injured,” he  said.