Grima appointed as head of elite player development

THE development of rugby league in Papua New Guinea has received a major boost with the appointment of well-credentialed coach Joe Grima as the new head of elite player development.
Grima will bring extensive experience to the role, having coached in Super League, National Rugby League (NRL) and at international level in both Papua New Guinea and Malta.
The former Cronulla Sharks and Parramatta Eels assistant coach was attached to PNGRFL back in 2018, when he joined the rugby league programme to work with the PNG Kumuls and Orchids teams.
The culmination of his impact came in 2019 when he was part of the coaching team that led the Kumuls and Orchids to the most famous night in the country’s rugby league history, defeating the Great Britain Lions and Roses in front of a capacity crowd at the National Football Stadium in Port Moresby.
In more recent times, post Coronavirus (Covid-19), Grima has conducted a number of clinics for the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup coaches.
PNG NRL Bid chief executive officer Andrew Hill said the appointment would help boost efforts to develop the next crop of players.
Grima has vast experience in building players since starting his career as an assistant coach with the Cronulla Sharks in 2008, under Ricky Stuart and Shane Flanagan. Prior to that he was the head coach of the international side Malta, in 2004.
He moved to St George Dragons in 2014, where he worked closely with Steven Price to turn the fortunes of the club around. In the same year Grima was recruited by the London Broncos in the United Kingdom as head coach.
In his time with the Broncos, he was able to drive improvement in a young squad that was looking to make an impact in Super League, before an opportunity to return to Australia in 2016 saw Grima take on the role of assistant coach at the Parramatta Eels under Brad Arthur, with this role transitioning into his appointment as Eels coaching director in 2019.