Johnson looking to shine

ROOKIE dummy-half Margaret Johnson has her sights set on what looks to be a promising future in rugby league with the 19-year-old turning heads in her first year in the sport.
Johnson wore a rugby league jumper and boots for the first time when she joined Top Street Hawks in the Morata Offseason Rugby League competition at the Kone Tigers Oval.
The Eastern Highlands native said rugby league had given her the opportunity to play against other women from Morata, Waigani and Tokarara.
The nippy rake is the first person in her family to play rugby league.
Johnson lives at the Morata settlement in Moresby North West where a relative convinced her to take up the sport.
“None of my siblings play rugby league,” she said.
“It’s unfortunate that I did not complete my education.
“I regret not continuing beyond Grade 6.
“But I thank my cousin Luke Simon for encouraging me to take up rugby league. I took it as a challenge.”
Johnson has since excelled in her No.9 role.
“It’s is kind of strange for me to wear rugby league boots and play, but I have to follow the competition rules,” she said.
“It was when I started watching the National Rugby League (NRL) on television that I set my mind to being the best person I can be in the sport.”
Johnson said her involvement in the Morata league was an opportunity to play at the grassroots level and compete with fellow rookies.
“This is just the start for me,” she said.
“My teammates have been supportive since I started playing rugby league.
“I have a long way to go.
“Looking at the bigger picture, it will take me at least five years before I can become a consistent player.”
It is stories like Johnson’s for which league president Samson Metofa wants to provide a platform.
He is aiming to develop grassroots talents for tougher competitions like that of the Port Moresby Rugby Football League (POMRFL).
Metofa is promoting gender equality among players from Morata, Waigani and Tokarara.
He said there was a lot of raw talents which needed to be identified and developed for the future.
Meanwhile, POMRFL senior referees have encouraged Johnson to keep improving as a player.