FOUR National Rugby League stars agreeing to be Kumuls is good news for the country.
The welcome tidings was delivered by Team Kumuls general manager Matthew Natusch.
Gold Coast Titan David Mead, Newcastle Knight Neville Costigan, Penrith Panther James Segeyaro and North Queensland Cowboy Ray Thompson all want to be Kumuls to the Rugby League World in the United Kingdom in October.
It is particularly pleasing in Mead’s case as he had told an Australian magazine last year he was no longer interested in playing for the country of his birth because of the infighting in the game here.
All that has been resolved and the hiring of Adrian Lam and Mal Meninga no doubt played a strong part in influencing Mead to return to the fold.
The announcement by Natusch that these four players are going to the World Cup adds spice for local players wanting to make their mark on the international stage.
The pressure is building nicely for the remaining spots, while at the same time, the world knows there is real class among the Kumuls.
 |
| Neville Costigan left will play for Kumuls |
Papua New Guinea is the only country in the world that considers rugby league as its national game.
There is a passion for the game here that is not found anywhere else.
Now comes the time when the game must give back to the country.
The fact the Kumuls have never made the semi-finals of this global benchmark tournament is a bitter pill.
That must be the first target the Kumuls have to aspire for.
The Kumuls must consistently be in the top four in the world.
To do that requires hard work and self-belief.
That self-belief will no doubt be drummed into them by people like Meninga.
The Kumuls have had millions of kina pumped into the game.
Now rugby league and the Kumuls have to justify that faith put in them.
The only way they can do that is by winning on the world stage.
They have to show that every toea given to the game is an investment the country can be proud of.