By SAMPSON BONAI
NEWLY appointed U23 men’s coach George Cowie will screen potentional National Soccer League players before making any selection.
PNGFA general–secretary Dimrit Mileng said yesterday all the players’ performance would be assessed strictly on their performance by Cowie at PNGFA Academy on Saturday.
His critical eyes will be focused on three games before announcing a final squad to represent PNG at the OFC qualifier in Fiji.
Mileng said selected players who were not part of any NSL franchise teams would take part in the trial matches this weekend.
He said the final squad would be announced after three trials before they go into serious training. The team will travel to Fiji for the OFC qualifier from March 1-14.
However, the names of the selected NSL players and those selected players from outside have not been released.
Cowie said at a recent media conference in Port Moresby that he demanded a 100% commitment from the players. The players must have a strong mind-set, be fit and very strong and must play good football.
The qualifier will have teams from six countries in the Oceania region including New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea.
The tournament will follow a round-robin format with each team playing five games and the winner decided on points. The winner of the six teams will earn a spot in at the Olympic Football tournament in Beijing in August.