Governor Ipatas welcomes four new players into Mioks team

The first four players scouted in the Coca Cola Ipatas Cup-Southern Leg Challenge were today officially welcomed by Patron of Enga Mioks and Enga Governor Peter Ipatas and Coach Timothy Lepa in Port Moresby.
The players are Ashley Waula (22 years old), Damien Harold (18 years old), Gahuna Silas (19 years old) and Vitus Kupo (in his mid 20’s).
The other two players that made up the initial number of six players selected that did not turn up at the ceremony are former Port Moresby Vipers and Kumul Josiah Abavu, and Matthew Wawe who was first signed on by Mioks last year.
Out of the players from the 24 teams that took part in the Southern Leg Challenge this six players stood out so we decided to sign them on with the Mioks,” says Coach Timothy Lepa.
According to Lepa they have also scouted four in Southern Highlands, three in Eastern Highlands, two in Simbu while one each from Jiwaka and Western Highlands provinces respectively. All players will be included in the 34 men squad of Enga Mioks for the 2015 Digicel Cup season.
“The Coca Cola Ipatas Cup competition is not for Engans only, it’s for all Papua New Guineans. We the Mioks can get players out from this competition but it also provides the opportunity for other franchise teams to help them scout their players to take into their team,” says Governor Ipatas.
He adds, “Since we call Rugby League as our National sports, this is a pathway to help our young talent players through this competition by getting them into the Digicel Cup, so they can build their way into the Sp Hunters or Kumuls and eventually into overseas competition and we have seen that happened in the past.”
The Governor also stressed the importance of having a high level of discipline across all levels which has been lacking in our game.
“We can look at players as the games superstars or even players emerging from the rural areas as superstar. In Mioks we want to see that there is discipline in them and at all levels, because we want to see our players’ progress for the benefit of themselves, the club and the game and we are giving them the opportunity,” emphasised the Governor.
And the Governor made his intentions known that this is the first and foremost approach he will be taking into the Enga Mioks team, to instil discipline from the players right across to the Team officials and Management. Because he believes this is the way forward.
The players will be going into camp soon once the Coca Cola Ipatas Challenge is completed.