Mt Hagen edge Goroka to claim U19 National Youth Competition

The Mt Hagen Eagles were crowned the 2025 inaugural U19 PNG National Youth Competition (NYC) Champions following their gritty 20-16 victory over the valiant Goroka Lahanis on Sunday, July 6th, at the National Sports Institute (NSI) in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province.

Aside from the four other participants in the NYC this year, the Eagles and Lahanis showed their premiership credentials during the season. These two sides dominated the new competition and made it to the decider, but the Eagles prevailed over the Lahanis.

In a high-stakes grand final, with the Eagles and Lahanis setting their sights on clinching premiership glory, both sides put their bodies on the line and delivered a physical 40 minutes of first-half performance, which saw the eventual premiers take a 2-0 lead.

Both teams regrouped in the sheds and scored three tries each in the second half, but the Mt Hagen boys managed to defend their line courageously, ultimately shattering the determined Lahanis side to snatch the bragging rights of the 2025 National Youth Competition.

Head of the National Youth Competition, Gabriel Peter, said: “The U19 National Youth Competition is not only preparing better rugby league players but better boys. We are very strong on professionalism and discipline. Self-grooming and self-discipline in their day-to-day life will help them to pursue their first NRL dream team.”

PNG NRL Bid Academy Head of Elite Player Development, Joe Grima, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the competition, emphasizing the impact the PNG NRL Academy had on the talented players across the country in the last two years.   

“We are incredibly proud of the strong presence our PNG NRL Bid Academies had throughout the inaugural PNG National Youth Competition,” Grima stated.  

“To see players and staff who came through our academy system, many of whom were involved in the recent National Championships that took place across all six NYC teams, is a powerful reflection of the pathways we’ve built.

“This was especially evident in the success of the Hagen Eagles, who were coached by Bobby Koke, a Bid staff member, alongside five of his six coaching staff, who are also part of the Bid. Even more impressively, 15 of their 20 players came through the Mt. Hagen Academy. 

“The Goroka Lahanis, the runners-up, were similarly led by one of our own, Garnet Auwo from our Goroka Academy, and featured three other staff members from our Goroka Bid Academy and nine academy-developed players on their roster.

“The high number of Bid Academy players and staff involved in the grand final between Hagen and Goroka, and the fact that so many coaches find it easier to work with bid-developed players - with some even believing it should be a requirement before progressing further - is a great testament to the quality of what we’re building. It’s a big boost as we continue to grow and evolve the program in the years ahead.”

The first-ever U19 PNG National Youth Competition is proudly supported and sponsored by Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League, Kumul Petroleum, PNG NRL Bid Academy, and PacificAus Sports.