Kagua Rugby League Revives

After almost two decades of being dormant, the Kagua Rugby League (KRL) competition made its return this year following the successful registration and affiliation with the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL).

The Kagua Rugby League was established in the 1990s by Thomas Kuru and Robert Rami. It has been running smoothly for over 10 years, producing some of the best talents. However, due to mismanagement, the players revolted and violence ensued, which ceased the competition.   

Seeing the untapped potential of the players, Benny Noel, with the support of his small team, took the initiative to revive the Kagua Rugby League competition some years ago, but due to a lack of sponsorship, they did not register the league. 

However, Walter Mirupasi and Wanpis Pokea, including their new management, came on board and breathed life into the defunct competition, officially registering and affiliating the KRL with the PNGRFL. 

The aim of reviving the dormant KRL competition is to provide opportunities for the local talents, address law-and-order issues, promote gender equality, and create spin-off benefits for the locals, especially the mothers to sell their garden produce. 

“The reason why we have restarted the league is to give potential future stars a chance to showcase their talents, and also keep the unemployed youths busy with the game,” coordinator Walter Mirupasi said.

“We will use rugby league as a platform in combating law-and-order issues and substance abuse affecting our young boys.

“We also plan to combat gender-based violence and promote gender equality through the sport of rugby league in Kagua.”

Instead of focusing on Kagua Central alone, Miruspasi revealed that they planned to expand the player base to the Kuare LLG and Erave LLG, ensuring that every talent is captured and supplied to the KRL. 

The revamped KRL will start its preseason this weekend, with the proper season expected to commence on May 4th. The competition will consist of a six-team A-Grade Division, including the U19 and U21 Divisions as well.

The KRL executives' long-term vision is to provide a clear pathway for the raw talents by helping them to further their careers into the Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup, the PNG Hunters in the Queensland Cup, including the PNG NRL team in 2028. 

President Wanpis Pokea and coordinator Walter Mirupasi, as well as their small executives, are looking forward to kicking off the 2025 KRL season. They are also appealing to the local MP and business houses to support them in delivering a successful competition this year.