Schnaubelt leads PNG women to Touch Rugby League crown

By PARKER TAMBUA
MULTI-CODE rugby flyer Gemma Schnaubelt led Papua New Guinea to Australia’s Touch Rugby League World Cup crown with a 6-1 win over the United Kingdom in the women’s final on Sunday.
The tournament started last Thursday and ended on Sunday at Carrara Sporting Complex on the Gold Coast.
Player-coach Schnaubelt told The National yesterday that she was full of praise for her team.
“I am so proud of the girls, we definitely earned it,” the Orchids fullback said.
“It’s our first time to win the World Cup and it was great to see quality touch played by our women’s side.
“It was tough, we didn’t have a good preparation in the lead-up to the tournament, but we played for each other and finished on top.”
Schnaubelt said her team had so much pace and skill which allowed them to outclass most of the teams.
“We had so much talent in the team, so we utilised them well throughout the tournament,” she said.
“We also had great kickers like Latisha Towers, Kristin Gibbs and Amanda Issa, so we played to our strengths and let the ball do the work for us.
“There were four players, including me, who had played in the previous World Cup where we lost to Australia in the semifinals.
“But this year, we were hungry to come back and claim the trophy, and it definitely inspired us to go all the way.”
PNG also competed in the men’s division but missed out on the finals.