Marum sets selection criteria

Sports

By JACK AMI
PAPUA New Guinea Kumuls coach Michael Marum, pictured, says only National Rugby League Intrust Super Cup and Papua New Guinea players will be selected for the inaugural Oceania Cup on June 22 in Sydney.
The team announcement which was scheduled for Sunday was pushed back for a week with Marum not having returned from Kokopo where he witnessed the kick-off of the National Schools Rugby League’s New Guinea Islands competition on Saturday.
The Kumuls were thrashed 38-4 at the 2013 World Cup in Hull, United Kingdom, when Marum was the assistant coach to Mal Meninga.
Marum said only the surviving Kumuls to have played against the Samoans was Nene Macdonald but he would not be considered for this month’s international after breaking his ankle earlier in the season.
Marum said that no United Kingdom players would be called in for the test, citing costs for the one-off game.
“Our NRL, ISC and PNG-based players will make up the national team of 18 players selected from pool of 30 by the national selectors,” Marum said.
Joining Macdonald on the list of unavailable NRL players are South Sydney’s Alex Johnston (knee) and St George Illawarra’s Jack de Belin (suspension), however Justin Olam (Storm) and Kurt Baptiste (North Queensland) are available.
Meanwhile, Sydney Roosters’ Lachlan Lam, who injured his wrist early last month, has returned to full training and could be a possibility if cleared by his club.
Tweed Heads Seagulls winger Xavier Coates, who is part Papua New Guinean, could be a surprise inclusion after having a solid introduction to the Q-Cup in 2019.
The 18-year-old also starred for the Junior Maroons in their 34-12 win over NSW at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday, and has been tipped to play in the NRL next year.
Marum said whatever team the selectors came up with would be competitive against Samoa, who have been overshadowed by the rise of Tonga over the last three years, but will put out a team filled with NRL talent.
He said the team would go into camp on June 17 in Sydney and train for six days before the test.
He said the team would be picked on form and experience as well as on past combinations.