3 April 2024
For immediate release
ENB AGMARK GURIAS RELOCATE TO PORT MORESBY
The Papua New Guinea National Rugby League Competition (PNGNRLC) has been working closely with the ENB Agmark Gurias and subsequently a joint decision has been made to relocate the franchise to Port Moresby for the opening period of the 2024 Digicel ExxonMobil Cup season.
This difficult decision was made as it has become clear that due to current renovations of the Tokua airport and its runaway resulted in the inability to ensure consistent travel for both the Gurias and visiting teams’ travel.
A staged travel scheduled in to and out of Kokopo was considered, however, the cascading impact on the players, potential delay, and on-going uncertainty greatly influenced this decision.
General Manager of Pathways and Performance, Mr Tony Archer, indicated, ‘We thank the club’s administration for raising their concerns. We have been able to work closely with them to achieve an interim solution that is in the best interest of the club, its players and the competition.”
“The relocation will have some impact on matches in our first few rounds. We have worked with the clubs affected by this change, and we are confident that the impact will be minimal.”
“Our ultimate objective is for Gurias’ fans to see their team perform at home games in the second part of the season,” Archer said.
ENB Agmark Gurias Chairman Mr Steven Nightingale expressed it was a difficult decision to make but was for the betterment of the national competition.
“We had to make the call to relocate to Port Moresby. This will allow us to not only start the competition on time, but also ensure the well-being of all players, both our team and those travelling.”
“We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Rapopo Plantation Resort, The Sanctuary Hotel and Mr James Pang for their incredible generosity in providing accommodation for our team during our stay in Port Moresby. Their support is invaluable and we cannot thank them enough,” Nightingale said.
