Kapuls: You make us proud to be Papua New Guineans

By Busa Jeremiah Wenogo

Any Papua New Guinean that watched the OFC final between Papua New Guinea Kapuls and the New Zealand All Whites on Saturday should be proud of being a Papua New Guinean. The Kapuls regarded as a minnow or underdog before the tournament kicked off proved everyone wrong. They not only topped their pool but went on to the final to hold New Zealand – the pre-tournament favourite to an epic nil all draw before the shoot outs decided the winner. In essence PNG is a winner. It was a game deserving of a grand final at that level; one that will be talked about for years to come. Their run to the finals was history in the making – a feat no PNG team in the past had accomplished. The young Kapuls self belief gave the nation self-belief that anything is possible. Even against a strong wind in the first half they remained positive and played their natural free flowing game. In the process they won the hearts of not only Papua New Guineans but foreigners alike although they lost the final. Seeing the team and the entire technical team including the coach in a huddle praying after the game with Solomon Islands when they qualified for the final and then before the shoot outs was touching. No mountain is too high when you have a faith that can move mountains. Certainly it did move mountains for the Kapuls. More of this needs to be seen in the other sporting codes.  

The Kapuls’ one touch brand of footfall was at times exhilarating to watch. The awesome foursome of Tommy Semmy, Nigel Dabinyaba, Raymond Gunemba and Michael Foster like true masksmen were always threatening the goal mouth. Their individual brilliance was at times breathtaking to watch like when Semmy or Gunemba broke free or took the defense head on. Their collective effort was simple too good to be true like when Michael Foster threaded a pass through to Gunemba only to be on the receiving end to score.  

All across the park the team showed grit and resilience. The Komolong boys, stalwart Koriak Upaiga along with Daniel Joe were outstanding at the back while the superb creativity of Emmanuel Simon and David Muta kept the opponents guessing with their through balls and accurate passes. Even the goal keeper did exceptionally well in denying the All Whites. For the first time PNG had produced an almost complete football team. No doubt a lot of that credit should go to Flemming Serristlev. The Danish almost producing PNG’s version of the once famous Danish ‘complete football’ team led by the impressive Johan Cruff. Only time will tell. Their style of football had the hallmark of an exciting football team that can excite on the world stage. No doubt in this tournament they have caught the eye of everyone. In the game against both Samoa and Solomon Islands the Kapuls showed how their pace can burn out their opposition. Even the matches against the traditional heavy weights of Tahiti and New Caledonia were available for the taking but nerve and lapse in concentration allowed them to come back and level the game.

It was truly a history in the making performance; one that will linger in the memory of everyone that watched the game. Kapuls performance reminded Papua New Guineans that despite the current political turmoil we are still proud of our nation. It gave hope to a nation already gripping with anxiety since the shooting of University Students by police loyal to the government. It also reminded Papua New Guineans that maybe just maybe our golden age in sports is dawning. Certainly there are already signs of that belief with the Kumuls bouncing back to win over Fiji and climbing four (4) spots to eleventh (11^th) on the IRL world ranking and our national cricket team defeating Kenya to move a step closer to qualifying for the ICC World Cup. 

Above all, the Kapuls performance demonstrated that our local NSL competition is a great investment and the government needs to come on board and raise its standard even higher to be comparable with the A-League of Australia. Maybe just like the Hunters taking part in the Queensland Cup with the right kind of support our government should look at establishing a team in the New Zealand or A-League. The depth of talent in PNG means that we are now knocking on the door to be a force to be reckoned with in football. For sure with this performance PNG is no longer a minnow in the Oceania Region. Most of the Kapuls players were predominantly players from Hekari and Lae City Dwellers football club yet their performance portrayed a group of young men who are competing at the highest level. An opening like the one mentioned above will expose our players to more high level football. Our senior women’s soccer team who have been playing second fiddle to New Zealand  for a while now and the Under 20 women’s team who will take part in the upcoming World Cup should take a leap out of the Kapuls’ performance. It all starts with self-belief and commitment.

Thank you Kapuls for your wonderful performance. Don’t worry that you have lost the final for you have won a nation’s heart. Against the odd you have risen to the challenge and you have made all of us proud to be a Papua New Guinean. Make us belief again when you take part in the world cup qualifier.