Semmy on trial with Jets

IN the sixteen years since Australia’s top-tier soccer competition kicked off, barely a handful of Pacific Islanders have made the A-League.
Only one, Fiji’s Roy Krishna, has made a significant impact, and up to now no player from Papua New Guinea has ever made it into the league’s ranks. The news that the Kapuls’ striker, Tommy Semmy, is on trial with the Newcastle Jets is exciting for soccer followers in PNG and across Oceania.
A previous trial at Wellington Phoenix proved unsuccessful, but Semmy’s coach with Hamilton Wanderers in New Zealand, Kane Herbert, is confident this time the outcome will be different.
“In my opinion, he probably should have had the opportunity earlier, but he’s been patient,” he said.
“He’s worked really, really hard and now he’s got a chance to go and prove himself at Newcastle and, hopefully, play in the A-League,” he said.
PNG Football Association president John Kapi Natto recognises that an A-League contract is not guaranteed for Semmy, but he says the fact that he is being looked at by the Jets is a significant step forward for soccer in the country.
And Herbert would certainly like A-League clubs to take a closer look at what’s happening in the Pacific.
“There’re probably a number of players in the islands who are certainly good enough and probably worthy of the opportunity,” he said.
“And hopefully we see a few more get the chance.” – ABC