120 juniors from NGI to advance

A TOTAL of 120 juniors have been selected from the New Guinea Islands (NGI) to further their rugby league basics training with the PNG NRL Bid academy.
NGI NRL Bid team manager Nicole Kamara told The National that their first Under-15, U17, U18 and U19 players have been inducted into the PNG NRL Bid programme two weeks ago, and were currently under the guidance of PNG NRL Bid NGI team.
“We are so excited of this success as this is the first lot of NGI academy,” she said.
“The programme is planned to run for 15 weeks so we started off on April 8 and will be finishing off in July 18.
“This programme is crucial in developing the best up and coming talent in PNG and NGI for our region.”
Kamara said a high number of juniors were interested in the programme but they had to be strict with selection based on PNG NRL criteria.
She said the second intake for the academy would begin in November and encouraged those that missed out in the first selection to be part of that programme.
“This academy will create a new level of professionalism on and off the field in a system that will prepare your children to be in the right pathway for development in rugby league,” Kamara said.
“We’re trying to ensure that the best system is in place, in respect to pathways and coaching for our top junior players.
“All we’re emphasising about is, in here your children will get the best coaching and development opportunities to be able to bring out their talent and prepare them for the next level of their rugby career. It’s really exciting to be involved in rugby league in PNG and I congratulate the 120 NGI juniors on this achievement.”