Digicel Cup 2014 season officially launched

Caption:   Players representing the competing teams posing with models and the Digicel cup in centre view (picture by Lionel Mungae)

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, April 13, 2014 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

THE long awaited Digicel Cup season 2014 was finally launched last week, in a reception that included the presence of MPs, the rugby league fraternity, and corporate sponsors of the premier rugby league competition in the country, at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Port Moresby.

Representative players from nine of the ten competing teams were on show at the launch, along with the coveted cup with much fanfare before the grueling first round to begin today.

The season will kick-off in Kokopo with the Gulf Isapeas taking on the Rabaul Gurias and the defending premiers Port Moresby Vipers taking on the Mendi Muruks in Mendi.

Major Sponsor, Digicel PNG’s CEO, John Mangos praised the positive strides the competition had taken since the mobile communications took over the naming rights in 2011.

“Since the involvement of Digicel, the competition has become more professional, in terms of the franchise development, referees, and also the players,” said Mangos.

“It is something that has taken a collective effort by all those involved to make it the best league competition in the country.”

He added that the positive improvements have paved the way to the strong performances of the PNG Hunter team in the Queensland Intrust Cup Competition and the NRL, to the local front of promoting the national sport as a family oriented sport.

“We are encouraged by the number of families that are now going to watch the games, which shows the positive difference the competition has in the community.”

In officially launching the 2014 season- Minister for Sport Justin Tkatchenko thanked Digicel for sticking with rugby league and its development in the country.

He gave credit to the competition as a vital platform to launching players into the Queensland Intrust Cup and the NRL competition in Australia.

A total 92 games will be played in eight venues along with over 500 players and officials involved over a period of four and a half months- with around half a million spectators watching games at the various grounds.