NSW Blues Team for Origin Game III

 TWO National Rugby League clubs are interested in offering pathways for Papua New Guinea’s best young talent to reach Australia’s tier-one competition.

Meanwhile, the Papua New Guinea NRL Bid 2023 launched its Elite Junior Academy programme yesterday at Sir John Guise Stadium with over 40 students taking part in a training session.

Bid chief executive Andrew Hill said the academy would help expand PNG’s player base before bidding for a licence to be NRL’s 18th franchise.

Lae Snax Tigers franchise owner and sponsor Ian Chow said the Cronulla Sharks and North Queensland Cowboys, who have vibrant junior development programmes and established pathways to the NRL, were interested to recruit promising PNG juniors for preseason training.

“Both Cronulla Sharks and Queensland Cowboys have spoken to me and offered NRL pathways for our talented junior players to train in preseason,” Chow said.

“Dane Camble, junior development boss of Cowboys, has spoken to Stanley Tepend and myself about sending our talented junior players to the elite league schools for a term or year.

“I am not just talking about Lae Snax Tigers. Any talented junior player from any team.”

The Cowboys Elite Pathways is made up of Greenhorns (15-16 year olds), Bucks (17-18 year olds) and Young Guns (19-20 year olds).

The programme provides a structured pathway to support the development and transition of promising young rugby league players through the playing ranks, from junior rugby league through to the NRL.

The Cronulla Sharks Winter Academy is a programme open to players registered and playing with local Cronulla-Sutherland district junior league clubs, with squads to be assembled in the Under-13, U14, U15, U16 and U18 age groups.

“We just have to identify the future star players and sponsor them to Australia,” Chow said.

“Cronulla says we can send our young referees in the preseason for training too.”

Meanwhile, Chow was disappointed that the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League’s elite junior academy launched yesterday was only for Port Moresby-based juniors for the remainder of the year.

“I had meeting with Stanley Hondina (PNGRFL CEO) last Saturday in Port Moresby,” he said.

“I was very disappointed because in Lae, junior development has been happening under Dennis Miall and Snax Tigers for over 10 years. No funding from PNGRFL during this time.

“At least I am told they will start assisting in 2024. It is great they have started a junior players’ database in Port Moresby to track and follow their progress. Hopefully they do it in rest of PNG soon.”

Hill said the pilot project would prove that PNG was on par with NRL clubs and would be expanded to other centres once firmly established in Port Moresby.

Source : The National / Rugby Insithts

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