"King Hong Kong" fails to ascend in 2026

[maloffel]

The end of the 2026 season left many in the Hong Kong area feeling more like court jesters than the king of the jungle.

Despite continuing the turnover woes of the previous season, the King Kongs rode a tenacious rushing attack and a sensational defense into a playoff berth. However the playoff journey was short lived as the King Kongs fell to the Bangers 13 to 26 in Bangor.

Following the loss, fans and local radio have been calling for an end to the Conner Joseph era. An uproar that gained steam when the league handed down a $50,000 fine to Joseph for skipping the post game press conference following the playoff loss; a game in which the King Kongs lost by a margin of 13 points while giving up 17 points via interceptions thrown by Joseph.

Amid these concerns that the recently turned 25 year old QB may be too immature or selfish to handle the starting quarterback position for a major WAFL team, head coach Jermaine Duran reiterated to the media, "He's our guy. The organization is behind him one hundred percent." A sentiment which GM maloffel seemed to endorse when he signed Duran to new 4 year contract this last Friday.