Classifieds

Post-Courier, Thursday, July 16, 2020 35

obituary Donal Leslie Fox OBE classifi[email protected] Vale Don Fox 309 1000 By EPHATA SAMUEL - PNGRFL He was Team Manager of the PNG He remained as a Director of PN- had been battling Leukemia since Janet Fox, loving daughters Joanne, DONAL Leslie Fox was born on Kumuls to the 2000 RLWC in UK and GRFL until his passing. being admitted to hospital on 6th Simone and Monique and their January 6th, 1942 at Newcastle, France. April, 2020. partners and six beautiful grand- New South Wales, Australia and On May 13, 2019 Don was awarded children. first came to PNG in 1966 as an ac- Don’s close association with the Life Membership of the PNGRFL in He is survived by his beloved wife countant with Life and General In- Enga Mioks club was as chairman Port Moresby. surance. of the Toyota Mioks from 1999 to Don receiving his Life Membership from PNGRFL Chairman Sandis 2009. Toyota Mioks won the SP Cup Don’s other sporting love was Tsaka. Picture courtesy of PNGRFL Media In 1974, Don joined very good friend in 2000. cricket. He was captain and coach (late) Brian Fry at PNG Motors un- of the Colts Cricket Club in Port til 1982, the last two years as Branch The PNG National Rugby League Moresby from 1966 to 1987 and won Manager and Deputy General Man- (PNG NRL) was formed in 2005 ‘plenty’ of premierships. At the re- ager based in Lae. during Sir Bob Sinclair’s tenure as quest of (late Oala Oala Rarua), Don PNGRFL Chairman. Don became joined the United Cricket Club from He took a four-year break to spend Chairman of the PNG NRL from Hanuabada in the 1975/76 season time with his daughters Joanne, Si- 2008 to 2011-2008/2009 B Mobile Cup and guided them to their first ever mone and Monique in Brisbane. and 2010/2011 Digecel Cup. He re- premiership. signed in August 2011 due to health In 1986, Don Fox joined Ela Motors reasons. He was replaced by Tom He represented Port Moresby and as a Regional Manager and then Na- Higgins and then later by Sudhir PNG on numerous occasions and tional Operations Manager until his Guru. The position is currently was vice captain of the PNG side retirement in 2011. held by Adrian Chow under its new that defeated Fiji in their first ever identity established in 2018 – PNG Test match. Don’s illustrious involvement with National Rugby League Competition PNG rugby league began when he (PNG NRLC). Together with Justice Raine and E arrived in 1966. He was a goal kick- S Dryer (Former General Manager ing front rower when he joined the However, three months later in No- of Elcom), formed the inaugural Magani Badili Rugby League club in vember 2011, Don was requested to PNG Cricket Board of Control in Port Moresby. The team won three take up the position of Chairman of 1971 and served as Member and Dep- consecutive premierships in 1969, PNG Rugby Football League. uty Chairman for at least 15 years. 1970 and 1971. He became Captain/ Coach of the team and were beaten Don wrote the following in his bio In September, 1977, Don was award- grand finalists in 1972, 73, 74 and 75. in 2017: “Initially, I took this difficult ed the Queen’s Independence Medal He hung up his boots in 1977 and be- job on for six months and then ex- for Sporting Achievements. came a referee. tended it for another eight months as it was still in a delicate position In the 2009 Queens Birthday Hon- He played for Papua against New and job was not completed. ours list, Don was awarded by Her Guinea in the Inter Territory series Majesty the Order of British Empire captaining the Papua side in 1971. “In 2013, I confidently handed over (OBE) for his contributions to com- Don also played for the PNG Presi- the Chairman’s position of the Pa- merce, community and sports. dents 13 against visiting Australian pua New Guinea Rugby League to teams including South Sydney, East- my Deputy Sandis Tsaka who is now He was granted Permanent Resi- ern Suburbs and Western Suburbs. Chairman. My difficult job was now dency of PNG in February 2010. completed.” Don Fox passed away at 3am on Friday July 3, 2020 at Mater Private Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. He 36 Post-Courier, Thursday, July 16, 2020

obituary Donal Leslie Fox OBE classifi[email protected] 309 1000 From the Archives: Don Fox when he was Captain and Coach of the Colts Cricket Club. Picture: Post-Courier Archives Post-Courier, Thursday, July 16, 2020 37

38 Post-Courier, Thursday, July 16, 2020

SPORTS www.postcourier.com.pg Chiefs keep faith in Gatland despite dreadful season Warren Gatland has endured a difficult return to the New Zealand scene with the Chiefs. RUGBY UNION sity of the players. CEO Michael Collins refuses to lay the blame “They probably just haven’t executed with for the Chiefs’ dreadful season on Warren some of the decision-making, with new law Gatland’s commitments with the British and interpretations, probably just haven’t been on Irish Lions. the mark.’’ When news broke of ex-All Blacks and Four successive defeats and a meek attack Waikato Gatland hooker’s return, fans’ expec- that’s yielded just four tries have ruined the tations went through the ceiling. Chiefs’ chances of winning the Super Rugby Given Gatland had won four Six Nations Aotearoa title, but Collins says the club’s hi- and three Grand Slam titles with Wales, and erarchy remains “100 percent behind this coached the Lions to a series draw with the coaching and playing group’’. All Blacks in 2017 and beat Australia 2-1 four years earlier, supporters had every reason to Last year ex-Wales supremo Gatland and be buoyant. Now they have been left wonder- the Chiefs agreed terms on a unique four-year ing where it all has all gone wrong. deal that started this season, allowing him to The Chiefs, who play the Highlanders in step aside in 2021 to take charge of the Lions Hamilton on Sunday, also lost two of their in South Africa before returning to Hamilton final three games in the Super Rugby tourna- for 2022 and 2023. ment before it was canned prior to lockdown. Gatland griped about the referees’ calls Bay of Plenty Steamers coach Clayton Mc- following the defeats to the Hurricanes and Millan will be interim coach in 2021. Crusaders but an inability to execute under defensive pressure, and some wonky lineouts, It was supposed to reignite the glory years have contributed to their woes. of 2012 and 2013. Instead Gatland’s homecom- Meanwhile, Collins would prefer an eight- ing has become bogged down in more ques- team competition if New Zealand’s Super tions than answers after previous coach Colin Rugby model was reshaped under the Aratipu Cooper left with a year left on his contract. review. Collins wouldn’t give specifics on how many Collins, however, is keeping the faith. He isn’t teams from Australia should participate, or concerned that Gatland’s job at the Chiefs had whether a Pacific Island side should be in- been compromised by his commitments to the volved, but said fan surveys made it clear they Lions, despite the winless run in SRA. wanted a simple format and no dud games. “I have made no secret of the fact I would “Warren has been doing some pretty long like to see an eight-team competition,’’ Col- days with us and has done since December, lins said. – stuff so we haven’t seen any distractions,’’ Collins said. “I think you can try and look for excuses and stuff like that but the reality is I can’t fault the work ethic, I can’t fault the physical inten- England captain reveals moment he thought Cricket World Cup had been lost CRICKET: For a lot of people, lockdown was ebbs and flow of the game, is a privilege.” the chance to catch up on Netflix box sets, but It was a day of excruciating drama, but even for Eoin Morgan it was an opportunity finally to watch the biggest cricket match of his life. at those moments when all hope seemed to have been lost for England (and there were A year ago today, Morgan led England to vic- lots), there was Morgan, sitting on the balco- tory in what Michael Vaughan declared on ny with that icy stare and calm exterior. the front page of The Daily Telegraph as the greatest-ever cricket match. England’s super “There’s only one for me (when he thought over victory at almost 8pm on a gloriously it was over) and it probably came to me the sunny Sunday evening at Lord’s will never second time I watched it. be forgotten, but for Morgan it took watching the game again for many of the memories to “Jimmy Neesham’s bowling to Ben (Stokes), come back. he bowls a slower ball, Ben hits it down to long on and I remember the ball being in the air “Obviously, the last four months has been a and you can see the trajectory of the ball and bit of a challenge but that’s actually allowed you full well know when you hit it up the hill me to watch the World Cup final – I’ve watched you have to absolutely smoke it to hit it for six it three times now,” he says. and it’s gone high and not quite as long as he’d liked and for a minute I just thought, ‘That’s “And that’s allowed me to enjoy it for the first it, it’s over, Ben’s out, we still need 15 an over’ time. It’s still tense throughout the whole day – that’s when I thought for a split second we every time I watch it and watching it back, the were dead and buried.” – The Telegraph Post-Courier, Thursday, July 16, 2020 39