Avatiu Eels are determined to make a powerful return to the Rarotonga Rugby League 13s domestic competition today, with a firm focus on discipline and teamwork as they take on the Tupapa Panthers.

The much-anticipated Premier Men’s clash kicks off at 4:30pm today at Temurimotia Park in Titikaveka. This marks the resumption of the domestic competition following a weeklong suspension due to concerns over the abuse of match officials.

Speaking to Cook Islands News ahead of the match, Eels coach Clive Nicholas says his side has worked hard to correct issues from previous games and is ready to bring a composed and united front to the field.

“I believe we fixed what we needed to fix from the last time we played,” Nicholas said.

“Just the discipline across us has been our downfall but we fixed that over a couple of weeks. We will see if we can maintain the game.

“We’ll play the game accordingly and put together what we’ve been practicing during the week during the training.”

He confirmed there are no major injury concerns heading into today’s match.

Facing a strong Tupapa side, Nicholas believes the game will ultimately come down to how well individuals rise to the challenge and execute their roles within the team.

“It's going to come down to the team; it’s going to come down to individuals’ running to step up because we've got a big team. We are fit and more involved now,” he said.

“If we can't put anything together as a team, then it's going to be useless.”

Reflecting on their previous losses, Nicholas said his players have been urged to learn from their mistakes.

“A week before the break, it was against Arorangi. We just look at those mistakes, those mistakes that we made, that counts for every game. It doesn't matter who we play.

Today’s game follows the suspension of last weekend’s senior league fixtures, including all U16s, U19s, Women’s, and Premier Men’s matches.

Competition coordinator Francis (Franky) Toa said the decision was made to protect match officials’ safety and wellbeing, following a growing trend of abusive behaviour from players, coaching staff, and spectators.

Toa revealed that some referees had resigned due to ongoing mistreatment, prompting the need to pause the competition and raise awareness about the issue, which she noted is also affecting other local sports codes.

Fixtures: Teimurimotia Park - 11.15am U14s Avatiu Eels-Arorangi Bears/Sea Eagles, 12.15pm U16s Bears-Eels, 1.15pm U19s Eels-Sea Eagles, 2.30pm Women’s Lady Bears-Lady Panthers, 3pm Premier Men’s Bears-Takuvaine Warriors, 4.30pm Premier Men’s Eels-Panthers.