SEVEN PNG female players, consisting of PNG Orchids and Santos Cup players, are attending the Australia National Rugby League Invitational Try Outs in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
The seven players include five domestic and two based in Australia; Belinda Gwasamun (Wamp Nga Mt Hagen Eagles), Leila Kerowa (Gas Resource Central Dabaris), Josephine Howard (Moni Plus NCDC Port Moresby Vipers), Marie Biyama (Western Clydesdales), Meli Joe (Wamp Nga Mt Hagen Eagles), Sareka Mooka (Northern Pride) and Yolanda Taute (Bintangor Goroka Lahanis).
PNG Rugby Football Leage Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Hondina said that it was a great opportunity for our female players to showcase their talent in front of scouts and NRLW Clubs. The selected seven had to meet physical benchmarks, skills assessment.
“The opportunity allowed the seven to execute their learnings in an environment with other talents from around Australia. The event also brought together the most promising non-NRLW players from across the Pacific and provided a platform to showcase their skills, allow them to grow in confidence, and immerse themselves in a professional high-performance environment. The seven PNG players had an opportunity to perform in front of NRLW club representatives, with the potential to earn future playing opportunities and professional contracts.”
The seven were accompanied by PNGRFL Physical Performance Manager Edward Guise and Coach Manager, Stanley Gene who both also participated as a Sports Trainer and Assistant Coach, respectively, for two of the four teams.
“The tryouts had four teams and the seven players were placed into separate teams, which allowed them to participate in an unknown environment and showcase their skills. Our staff also participated and was a great capacity building and exchange of experiences for both sides to learn from.” said Hondina.
The seven also witnessed the Magic Round for NRLW and the 5 domestic players have returned back to their clubs to participate in the Santos Cup.