30 attend rugby league clinic

By TRAVERTZ MABONE
THE Southern region 9s tournament currently underway in Port Moresby is leading the way to ensure that quality knowledge of rugby league is taught to their players with the current inclusion of an organised four-day coach education update programme for rural and urban-based coaches participating in the tournament.
Brisbane Broncos football development manager Shane Morris had been invited by the Southern region 9s body to facilitate the programme which started yesterday and will end on Thursday.
The coaching clinic stemmed from talks between the Southern region 9s tournament director Ivan Ravu and Morris, who prompted the event late last year.
Ravu said that human development would be the core through passionate young people willing to develop rugby league in the Southern region and PNG.
So far, 30 coaches out of 60 taking part in the tournament had signed up for the clinic.
Ravu said more coaches would join but rural-based coaches were finding it hard to make their way into the city for the four-day session.
Coaches attending the event have shown interest in the clinic and are eager to learn more to bring up the level of rugby league in the region.
Ravu added that in 2008 the Southern region 9s also carried out a team administration workshop through the PNG Sports Foundation to ensure proper management was upheld in their clubs.
“I hope to go into other areas next year to really utilise the region’s rugby league criteria,” Ravu said.
He said that even though it was the function of the national rugby league body to carry out such development initiatives they had been quiet for some time.