PNG Kapuls’ star Alwin Komolong makes remarkable return to football action in Australia

Sometimes football fans may forget of how hard this sport really is; a lot of sacrifices need to be done in order to succeed – well-known players today had to put a lot of effort in the past to achieve its current position. That’s certainly the case of Papua New Guinea’s finest defender of all-time Alwin Komolong. The tall central-back – that can play just like in any position in defence and also as defensive midfielder – that has experience of playing in countries such as the United States and Germany has now made a remarkable achievement in his football career.

After sustaining a very serious knee injury, Komolong had to appeal for the football community for assistance: the lack of resources in his native country would not allow him to return to the level he was before. “I’ve made my debut in the Australia Cup off the bench. I have been out of action for over 14 months so I have been building my fitness back up with the U23 team“, told the player to Oceania Football Center. To finally complete his move from the sidelines to be back to the game he loves, he had a long road; after collecting all necessary funds through a crowdfunding on internet to undergo surgery in Middle East, the player had a long rehabilitation process to be finally back to the pitch.

Recently, the PNG Football Association announced the signing of the Australian coach Warren Moon to the guide the men’s national team in the upcoming events, most notably the OFC Men’s Nations Cup and 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. Moon, well-known in Australia for coaching A-League side Brisabane Roar, paved the way for Komolong to sign with NPL Queensland outifit Lions FC this February – club which he also serves as technical director. “Lions is a fantastic club, they have a very good setup with high standards, the pitch is probably one of the best in Australia. The working environment is close if not as good as some professional clubs in the lower leagues in Europe even if it classed as Semi-Pro“, said the 28-year-old player – “the playing group is a very good; a bunch of lads with some ex-A-League players in the likes of Matthew Ridenton – who played for the All Whites in that famous 2016 Nations Cup Final in PNG -, and Josh Brindell-South who played at the Roar. They are well complemented by players in the squad with real quality who are well established NPL players“, completed Komolong.

Komolong is not the only Papua New Guinean to play his trade in Lions FC, recently PNG Kapuls’ Troy Dobbin left for Australia to join the NPL side, and Alwin was excited about the signing of his countrymen: “For Troy it is a good opportunity to get out of PNG and test himself overseas, it helps when you are young and ambitious and Troy has the attributes, quality , and character to do that. I think Lions is a good environment for him to develop. He has begun with U23s with the plan to integrate him into the first team once he’s settled and obviously producing performances. I believe he is on the right track“, said Komolong.

Of course his dream of returning to full-professional football continues alive; the defender already played in German’s third-tier for Fortuna Köln. When asked about a possible move to Australia’s top-tier league, the A-League, the player was emphatic: “of course that is always a good target to have, but for now I am just focused on getting a full 90 and playing well and finding the form I had before I got injured. It is always tough coming back from injury but I believe I am in the right environment to regain edge“, stated the former Lae City FC man. Komolong made recently his full-debut in National Premier League for Lions against Redlands United in a 2-1 victory where he finally played the 90 minutes in front of his wife Abigail and son, Luka.

This upcoming June, the OFC Men’s Nations Cup are set to be held in Vanuatu and Fiji – as the player expects to be fully fit to represent his country one more time, Komolong shared his thoughts on the signing of Moon for the position of national team’s head coach: “I rate Warren very highly, he knows what he is doing and is driven. He has a professional background in A-League as well as development where he serves a Technical Director for Lions as well. Hes come in at tumultuous time for PNGFA, but already he is working on getting the best out of what is available as driving change within the organisation. That is change is very dependent on having the right people executing the strategy, but from what I’ve seen and heard so far it has all been positive from a footballing perspective at the men’s level“, pointed the central-defender.

As the quest for football development continues in Papua New Guinea now through the guidance of Warren Moon, certainly Komolong is going to be of massive importance for his team in the upcoming tournaments. The player is focused on getting back to his best form after exactly one year, two months and two weeks later from his last competitive 90 minutes of football – in an excellent environment for any South Pacific Islander footballer.