Focus on Pacific Cup

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BURI GABI

THE Telikom PNG Kumuls started their training in Madang yesterday with the squad kicking of their preparations with a recovery session before starting off their serious training session tomorrow.
The Telikom PNG Kumuls are determined to claim the SP Brewery Pacific Cup which is set to kick off at the Lloyd Robson oval on Oct 26 and team bonding will be one of the key aspects for the Kumuls to produce a focused and united front.
According to officials from the camp this was one of the reasons the team had a one-week training camp in Madang to move away from the distractions of Port Moresby’s busy environment and let them focus on the tournament against Tonga, Fiji, and the winner of the qualifying match this Saturday at Barlow Park in Cairns between Cook Islands and Samoa.
The selectors have gone for a mixture of youth and experience for the Pacific Cup while maintaining a core group from last year’s World Cup campaign in John Wilshire, Keith Peters, David Mead, Menzie Yere, Charlie Wabo, Jessie Joe Parker and Rodney Pora.
A Kumuls official who wanted to remain anonymous told The National that the Kumuls were not worried about whoever the visiting teams would be featuring in their line ups.
The host team was entirely focused on winning the SP Brewery Pacific Cup and qualifying for the four nations challenge next year which would see world champions New Zealand, Australia, England and the  Pacific Cup champions play each other in a series similar to the rugby league tri-nations.
The Kumuls will  start their two sessions training schedule tomorrow afternoon in Madang before they jet down to Port Moresby on Friday, to kick off their final week of preparations at the Lloyd Robson oval.
And it is for the pride of the country and the love of rugby league that the Kumuls are more focused then ever to claim the cup on their home soil in front of their home crowd at the Lloyd Robson oval.