Suspended Asahi Valley captain Andrew Wong Kee will put a difficult year behind him and is looking forward with renewed enthusiasm to leading the club to First Division glory as well as winning a berth in the Hong Kong national squad in the new year.
A 10-month suspension that was slapped on the dynamic scrumhalf by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union for violating its code of conduct ends on December 27. The 24-year-old Wong Kee is now keen to get on with his life as a rugby player.
'It has been a very frustrating period for me. I have spent so much time on the sidelines. All I want to do now is to play rugby and I'm looking forward to my first game in the new year,' said Wong Kee, who will leave home for Samoa and New Zealand on Thursday for a short Christmas break, before returning in time for Valley's first game after the holidays against DeA.
The Valley halfback was banned in February this year for biting Hong Kong Football Club players Owain Morrison on the right hand and Craig Chudleigh, on the arm, on two different occasions last season.
'There is a lot of politics in Hong Kong rugby. But I don't want to comment on whether my ban was justified. The last thing I want to do is to stir things up again for it won't change a thing now,' said Wong Kee yesterday.
Valley originally contested the HKRFU's ban in court. The Court of First Instance initially revoked the suspension on Wong Kee in September just before the start of the season, but then reversed the ruling a week later.
'Valley has withdrawn their action. The ban remains enforced until December 27 after which he is free to play,' said Allan Payne, HKRFU executive director.