Rugby league in Papua New Guinea has taken a huge step forward through the conception of the inaugural academy for elite junior players in preparation for PNG NRL team bid.
The elite junior academy aims to identify raw and young talent to follow in the footsteps of Justin Olam, Edwin Ipape and Elsie albert to name a few.
This program will seek talented players in the age ranges of 14-16 in the country. After selection, the will the best possible coaching, mentoring and off-field support as part of PNGs bid to become the next NRL club. So far, 74 players were initially identified from over 60 schools in the national capital district.
The program will be launched in Port Moresby on Monday 17th, with the aim of becoming a national program in the coming years.
According to an article on IntRL news, Andrew Hill, PNG NRL bid CEO believes this is a major step towards the development of rugby league in PNG.
“Launching an academy for our best 14- to 16 years old Is a major step forward when it comes to creating an elite player pathway for the game in PNG’. Said Hill
“Having Visited a number of NRL visited a number of NRL clubs over the past few months, I’m confident that the program, we have created will provide talented young players the opportunity to be successful and on par with NRL clubs in Australia.” He added.
“We are looking to create a structure that can identify and develop the next Justin Olam, Edwin Ipape or Elsie Albert, and will take our elite player pathway model to another level”
“I would like to thank the Prime Minister, and the minister of Sport, Don Polye, for assisting this project and helping us take our elite player pathway model to another level. The NRL Bid is looking forward to helping with the Government’s Go Rural Go Global strategy over the next few years.” Hill concludes.
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