Kelly silent about move

By MICHAEL PHILIP
PAPUA New Guinea Palais flanker and speedster Naomi Kelly will miss the second leg of the HSBC Rugby Sevens challenger series in Uruguay set to kick off on Friday.
After representing PNG in the first leg of the challenger series in Dubai in January, Kelly made the decision to quit sevens and join rugby league, without giving further information regarding her switch.
The Palais and Pukpuks departed on Saturday for the Uruguay series in Montevideo.
“I don’t want to give any reasons at the moment or talk about anything relating to the decision that I made,” she told The National.
“I just want to keep a low profile at the moment due to social media abuse and harassment lately.
“I decided to take a break for a while playing sevens. My decision is final and I am pleased with it. I am okay with the decision and looking forward for what’s next ahead of me.
“If I play (rugby league) this Saturday, I’ll inform the media which team I will be playing for and also make known the media my exit from the team.”
Attempts by The National to get responses from PNGRU chief executive Sailosi Druma and Palais coach Cecil Davani were unsuccessful.
The four-time PNG Palais representative confirmed yesterday “I am switching to league” but did not disclose reasons of her exit from the national 7s women’s team.
The 178cm flyer said their recent tour to Dubai for the first leg of the challenger series was one of her best experiences while representing her country at the international stage.
“I am proud that I was part of the team that we made it to ninth place for the first time in the challenger series. We made history for Papua New Guinea.
“Not only that, I have the chance to visit the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.
“The breathtaking views from the observation deck, the luxurious atmosphere and the overall grandeur of the building left a lasting impression.
“It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you will never forget and big credit to the PNG Palais management who made it possible for me to experience that.”
Despite not performing to expectations in Dubai, both the Palais and Pukpuks still have the opportunity to atone themselves in the coming legs to grab maximum points to push for a top four finish after the third leg.