Posted By Staff Reporter
IPATAS Cup chief executive Timothy Lepa said the Kumuls coach should live in Papua New Guinea.
Lepa, who coaches the Enga Mioks in the Digicel Cup, said if Team Kumul was to be a success and the five-year programme was to bear fruit the coach had to be PNG-based. He called on the removal of Adrian Lam from his role as coach if he was not prepared to live in PNG to run the programme. Lepa, who has been vocal about rugby league issues, said that news of Lam’s coaching and management being criticised by individuals close to the Kumuls showed that it was time for a change. He encouraged more members of the squad to speak the truth, whether it was good or bad, about how Team Kumul was being handled. Lepa said players and officials needed to step forward and reveal details of the true nature of things on tour. He said until those who witnessed of any incidence of poor administration or avoidable problems on the tour speak out, the issues would be swept under the carpet and continue and worsen. Lepa said one Lam’s brother Brendan had been hired as a video analyst nut he accompanied the Kumuls to the World Cup without any video equipment. Lepa said there were only three nationals on the staff – assistant coach Michael Marum and trainers Nigel Hukula and Solomon Kuluniasi. The rest of the support staff was made up of expatriates, Lepa said. “When they are in England they find out they need more people so they engage two support staff from Hull, according to a newspaper reports. “Lam and Meninga have little knowledge of our local players’ ability so they were getting to know them as the campaign went on.” Lepa said that the other teams had a head start on them because their coaches knew their ability of their players so they used them at strategic times on the tour. “Marum and Hukula were there but if Lam didn’t use both men’s knowledge of the local players due to ignorance or a lack of respect respect, then Lam is probably the wrong man for this job,” Lepa said He said that PNG should remove Lam, promote a national coach who has local knowledge on the players, can communicate with them and get guidance from Meninga. “This fly-in- fly-out practice must stop. “Here we have a Government that is preaching against this fly-in-fly-out practice in the mining and other sectors and they allow our national team the Kumuls to practice it without any complaints. PNG Facts /The National Comments are closed.
|
Sports NewsGo to Kumuls Profile >> |