Rugby league administrators in Papua New Guinea are confident the sport's standard will be lifted as a result of the inclusion of a PNG team in the 2014 Queensland Cup.
The PNG side will take part in a 13-strong 2014 tournament with home games to be played in Kokopo, north-east of Port Moresby. After a disappointing performance at the recent Rugby League World Cup, officials believe the inclusion of a png team is an important part of the sport's rebuilding process. More than 50 players are taking part in a selection camp - vying for a spot in the team - which will be formally announced later this month. Chief executive of PNG Rugby Football League, Brad Tassel, says the training squad is youth focused. "The whole aim is to give players an opportunity to progress in their league careers and open up a pathway into the NRL competition in Australia," he said. "So the focus will be on youth and trying to build that youth - not only to give them an opportunity, but also to build it for the next world cup in 2017." PNG's national rugby side, the Kumuls, struggled during this year's Rugby League World Cup, with losses to France, Samoa and New Zealand. Kumuls' coach Adrian Lam and high performance manager Mal Meninga have faced criticism they are not "serious" about re-developing the game in PNG. Brad Tassel says joining the Queensland Cup will also help boost development domestically. "Rugby league in Papua New Guinea has been on its knees, realistically, for the last ten years," he said. "There's been no development that's taken place over that time and PNG's fallen further and further behind the rest of the world on a national stage." Former PNG World Cup player and coach of the domestic Rabaul team Michael Marum is the coach of the PNG side. The 13 team Queensland Cup competition kicks off in March. Source: ABC News Comments are closed.
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