The Bintangor Goroka Lahanis has appointed Gonzela Urakusie as head coach following the departure of Charlie Wabo. Urakusie will now lead the new look Goroka Lahanis side into the 2024 Digicel ExxonMobil Cup Competition.
The franchise management confirmed the reinstatement of the former head coach after he was sidelined last season. Urakusie last coached the side in 2022 with the franchise missing out on making the cut for the finals.
“I trustingly called Gonzela Urakusie to coach. He had a disciplinary problem last year and that’s why we sidelined him and brought in Charlie Wabo. But we made way for him to come into the team,” said franchise manager Tom Pori.
The appointment of Urakusie was amongst some key changes in the club including standing down team Captain Charlie Buka.
Pori said Buka was one of three players asked to step down because they have gone past playing age. The other two were Kumani Agumagu and Jacob Gibs. He also confirmed that four players from the 2023 grand final squad have joined other franchises.
The franchise manager admitted that their departure and that of Wabo, means they need to dig deeper to cover for the loss.
“We need to do a little bit of buildup especially with the departure of Coach Charlie Wabo together with a couple of our players to Port Moresby Vipers,” said Pori.
The Lahanis management remain confident in the current crop of players at the preseason training and the returning coach to deliver positive results in the 2024 season.