Elite programme to start

SELECTORS from six centres around the country are in the process of picking over 700 juniors who will undergo a 16-week elite training and coaching programme, head of elite player development Joe Grima says.
Grima who heads the PNG NRL Bid Academy said school competitions were currently held in Western Highlands (Mt Hagen), Eastern Highlands (Goroka), East New Britain (Rabaul), Morobe (Lae), National Capital District (Port Moresby) and Central.
He said 30 players would be selected in each age categories – Under-15, U17, U19 boys and U18 girls – totaling 120 players from each school competition.
“The total squad number is a whopping 720 young men and women across the whole country being taught the same coaching philosophy and coaching points,” he said of the upcoming programme.
“The NRL Bid Academy will be rolling out the first ever national skill framework, covering two squads in the South of PNG, and one squad each in Rabaul, Lae, Goroka and Mt Hagen.
“It will run over a 16-week programme, finishing with a carnival in Goroka for U19s male and U18’s female in July, where the selection of the PNG Schoolboys and PNG Schoolgirls will be made.
“The selection process in these community areas will involve observing school games within the school competition via a selection criterion.”
Grima said the selected players would attend an induction session on April 1 covering training schedules, player expectations, venue, times, qualifications, and player responsibilities. “Each player from the 120 players selected in each squad must attend the induction session. This is where players and parents will meet for the first time, share the code of conduct as well as answer any question around the programme,” Grima said. He said each team would train locally every week up until July 20, completing over 15 weeks of elite coaching and training.
The national school championships would be held in Goroka from July 20-21.