National Rugby League PNG launches modified competition

NATIONAL Rugby League Papua New Guinea (NRLPNG) launched a mini and modified schools rugby league competition at Lae Secondary School in Morobe on Saturday.
Students will play matches in the Under-7, U9 and U11 divisions throughout the seven-week competition.
Lae schools rugby league competition coordinator Dennis Miall thanked NRLPNG for giving Morobe the opportunity to run the development programme.
“It’s a big bonus for all the Lae schools especially the rugby league-playing ones,” he said.
“It (NRLPNG programme) complements our schools programme, which starts from U14, U16 to U18.
“We’ll now have six-year-old to 12-year-old students competing in the NRLPNG programme.
“Our schools programme will accommodate 14-year-old to 18-year-old students in the primary and secondary divisions respectively.
“The U20s are now with the seniors in the Lae Rugby League (LRL) competition, so all our rugby league pathways are now complete.”
Miall, who guided the PNG junior men’s team to 2014 Commonwealth Games gold, said players would now start with the NRLPNG programme and then join the schools competition before entering LRL.