Moresby 9s tournament an avenue to market players

THE Justin Tkatchenko Nines is seen as a tournament that markets rugby league talents from Moresby South to semi-professional competition, Digicel Cup.
President of Moresby South League Brown Murema told The National yesterday that the annual tournament attracts scouts from Digicel Cup teams.
JT Nines will run from March 2 – 8 at the Moresby South Stadium.
“The tournament is getting bigger and better every year with more teams from the electorate and outside showing interest,” Murema said.
“I’ve seen players that have played in this tournament since its inception in 2016, players having made it to SP Hunters and Kumuls and there is no doubt we are creating the platform to expose raw talents that need exposure.
“Besides exposing talents, we are also using such tournaments to keep youths away from bad habits during the off-season.
“I believe we are seeing changes in youths so that’s another good thing about the tournament,” he said.
Murema said the JT Nines was also used as a warmup event before the Moresby South League season starts.
“We are still waiting for Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) to release its calendars for 2022 so based on that, we will know when the Moresby South League season will start.
“Usually the players from this league use the JT Nines to loosen up a bit from off-season and prepare for the proper season.
“We are hoping to see all teams to be competitive and put on entertaining performances,” he said.
Meanwhile, Murema thanked local MP and naming rights sponsor Justin Tkatchenko for backing the tournament.