40 picked for training

Sports

THE Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League has identified 40 women to undergo high-performance training conducted by the National Rugby League PNG at the National Football Stadium.
Training started on Wednesday and ends today.
Most of the players attending the programme are from the Port Moresby Rugby League competition selected from 13 clubs.
PNGRFL chairman Sandis Tsaka said from Wabag yesterday the high performance training was to identify potential elite women from the four regions.
Tsaka said NRL PNG’s David Westley and Team Kumul high performance training team have started the programme leading to the World Cup in Sydney.
“This is an elite training to identify players and see their  fitness level and standard to ensure that level of competitiveness in the upcoming World Cup,” Tsaka said.
“This is the first HPT with several more to come leading to the World Cup preparations.”
He said as soon as they confirm the affiliates in the four regions, they would conduct similar programmes. “This is important and the players undergoing the programme should take this as an opportunity to help build them up to be better athletes on and off the field,” Tsaka said.
“I’m confident that our girls will meet the required fitness level to enable their preparation. This is not the PNG women’s team but only an elite HPT squad to prepare and build up the players.
“We will be running several programmes in Port Moresby because most of the potential prospects are in the national capital.”
Tsaka said the announcement of the PNG women’s team’s would be made at National Football Stadium next week.
He said the women’s training squad would be selected during the national zone championships in Sept in Lae.