Jackson drives Royals’ success in women’s league

By MELTON PAIS
BEHIND every successful man is a hard-working woman and likewise for every successful team, there is a hard-working coach.
Black Swan International Royals women’s rugby league team are a success story which Sammy Rice Jackson, pictured, has mentored for the past six year’s as head coach.
Jackson took up the position of women’s coach in 2010 and from that year, the Royals made it to the grand final.
Since then, the Royals have had four back-to-back grand final wins and two losses.
Jackson, 31, hails from the Yakaedis village in Wapenamanda, Enga, and has wide experience in coaching.
He was the man behind all the success of Royals women and also the Southern Region women’s team, who won the National Zone trials in Lae last year.
Aside from his local coaching duties, Jackson was once an international coach, taking the Under-16 Michinberry Jets to Sydney in 2012 after coaching them here for two years.
This year, he was not selected to be part of the Southern Zone women’s team for the national zone championship in Lae but despite that, he proved himself a great coach by guiding his Royals women to defend the cup they won last year.
“My dream of securing a coaching job for the women’s Rugby League World Cup was crushed before the National Zone Championships in Lae,” Jackson said.
“As a successful women’s coach in the biggest rugby league competition in Port Moresby (PRL), I welcome criticism as it makes me a better person.
“Six years coaching Royals women and having four grand final wins and two losses up my sleeve is a major achievement for me.
“I will continue to maintain that in the years to come as long as I am the coach of the women in blue,” he said.