PNG LNG Kumuls

The 21-year-old is an up-and-coming young winger for the Sydney Roosters.

After missing last year with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, Lewis has been playing consistent football with the North Sydney Bears in the Canterbury Cup this season.

The Sydney Roosters have congratulated Lewis on his selection and wished him the best of luck ahead of kick off.

The inclusion of Lewis will now bring the number of debutants to seven.

PNG LNG Kumuls team:

It was a bruising encounter at the Oil Search National Football Stadium on November 3^rd and no surprise when tempers flared with a player each from both teams getting sinbinned.

Fans in attendance got their money’s worth for the match, ending the PNG Rugby Football League calendar.

The England Knights made their intentions known early in the first half opening the scoring through Tom Lineham.

Minutes later his wing partner, Tam Davies, had no trouble beating two defenders to score in the corner.

In a short statement issued today (November 4^th), PNGRFL CEO Reatau Rau said the PNGRFL will request the Police Minister and his department to carry out a thorough investigation into this incident.

“If what has happened to the player is true, we totally condemn this incident and deplore the unacceptable behaviour of the person/persons involved,” Rau said.

“PNGRFL will issue a statement as soon as the facts have been established.”

After the Kumuls’ 32-22 win over the England Knights yesterday in Port Moresby, Nene Macdonald and some of his teammates went out to unwind when he was allegedly assaulted.

In a Facebook post, the Kumuls centre said he will not wear the red, black and gold jersey again until the man who smashed a bottle over his head at Lamana is dealt with.

Coach Michael Marum confirmed the incident but said they are still in the early stages of gathering information.

“He is traveling out today and no, his injury was not severe,” stated the coach.

More to follow...

The incumbent PNG LNG Kumuls captain will be assisted by James Segeyaro, who captained the Pacific Test in July during Mead's absence.

During their joint training with the PNG Orchids yesterday, Mead expressed his excitement at being back in camp.

The 2017 World Cup skipper was not considered for the Pacific Test selection in July as he was playing in the UK Super League.

“It’s a huge honour to be named captain for your country so I’ll make sure I prepare really well this week and give my best for the team,” he said.

Kumuls coach Michael Marum said they were in trouble after missing so many tackles early, allowing England to power home. Losing their skipper in the second minute also didn't help.

"It started off when we lost our captain David Mead through that first set," Marum said. 

Despite this afternoon’s 36-6 win over the PNG LNG Kumuls, Wayne Bennett’s England only completed 25 of 45 sets.

The Kumuls were dealt a mighty blow 90 seconds into the match when captain David Mead came off second best after a try saving tackle on England’s Luke Gale.

After surviving early raids from the English, the Kumuls went on the counter-attack and came agonisingly close to drawing first blood after Kato Ottio dropped a bomb in the in-goal.

Repeat sets to England produced the first points with Jermaine McGillvary flying over on the wing.

The Kumuls looked to be tight-knit and were in good spirits during their training sessions throughout the week, frequently sharing jokes and laughter.

Great focus ahead of the game, the Ireland squad is looking forward to facing home side PNG Kumuls tomorrow (Nov 5).

This morning’s captain’s run was Ireland’s way of getting into the momentum following the week’s public outreach with National Capital District residents.

Tomorrow’s clash against the PNG LNG Kumuls will determine who ends up in the quarter finals, making it out of the pool matches and PNG hopes to be that team after they overcome this Ireland outfit.

Kumuls coach Michael Marum says there’s no guarantee that the players that challenged Fiji in the recent Pacific Test have a place in the Kumuls.

Marum said they will have to compete against everyone else including players in the Digicel Cup, Queensland Intrust Super Cup, NRL and the Super League that is played in England.

He said all these players are performing well and will be considered as selectors will have to pick the best players.

“There’s no automatic selection for players that played against Fiji.