Thaiday backing league – The National

By BENJAMIN KOITAKA
RETIRED Brisbane Broncos star Sam Thaiday will be the special guest of the Eastern Highlands Super 8 Rugby League tournament today.
The former Queensland and Australian test forward arrived in Port Moresby yesterday and was welcomed by Mining Department first secretary Motsy David at Jackson Airport. He will travel today to Goroka where he will be the tournament’s guest of honour at its launch and kick off.
The nines tournament is sponsored by Kainantu MP and Mining Minister Johnson Tuke.
Well known Australian rugby league personalities regular visit the country to promote and support tournaments and programmes.
Names like Mal Meninga, Benji Marshall, Darren Lockyer, Matt Bowen, Petero Civoniceva, Lote Tuqiri and Justin Hodges have made themselves available to various groups.
The tournament includes the participations from the eight districts in the men’s (13s) and women’s (9s) with the extra invitational teams from other three districts of Chuave (Simbu), Markham (Morobe) and Usino-Bundi (Madang).
The 33-year-old, who has played international matches (Prime Ministers 13) in Port Moresby and Kokopo, said it would be his first time to the Highlands but he was keen to see another part of Papua New Guinea and support local rugby league.
“I’ve never being to Goroka so this would be a first for me so I’m looking forward to meeting the people and met the new fans as well,” Thaiday said.
“I’m so grateful for the invitation to come up here and meet the fans.
“I want to thank the organisers for bringing me up here.
“I’d love coming to PNG as we have a lot of NRL fans up here and of course I’m looking forward to seeing the local rugby league talent in action here,” Thaiday, who first played in PNG in 2007, said.
Thaiday, who was last in PNG last February for the Broncos pre-season match against the SP PNG Hunters, said his visit to Goroka would also be used to promote the message of young people to stay in school and learn as well as the importance of being healthy and being good members of their communities.
“I’ll be talking to the kids about education and being healthy and being good people within the community but also enjoying sports,” he said.
The one-club star said he was always supportive of initiatives to promote sports and its e benefits in rural communities having come from one himself in North Queensland. “A lot of things come through sports and we would like to take this message to the people.
“Rugby league in PNG is fantastic and we love coming up here because we’ve got huge fans here.”

I am writing as a PNG Citizen now a Permanent Resident in Australia, an Old Boy at Aiyura National High School (1980-81 close classmates of Ifiso Segiaro (R.I.P.), Peter Pena, Abel Yawarico) a Health and Wellbeing/Fitness fan, and a patriotic Papua New Guinean.

Thank you to Johnson Tuke, Kainantu MP and Mining Minister, for your wisdom and trust in ‘Harmony’ through SPORT. Thank you Sam Thaiday for accepting the invitation and your ongoing interest in PNG Rugby and League. We hope to soon an NRL Touch Football as one of the products used to promote healthy living and positive mindfulness for many.
What a fantastic opportunity also, to have our people regain self-confidence and respectful trust for our motherland and what it has to offer for our tomorrow’s generation. Especially promote good citizenship and peace through sport. To promote equality for both the ‘rich’ and the ‘poor’. To maintain a livable spirit, so that our friends from foreign lands can come to a visit, knowing that they are safe. To be positive role models for those around us, especially our families and friends. To let our good actions speak rather than words and violence. We have witnessed a minority of people doing un-Christian acts, e.g. attempting to kidnap MP from other constituents – why? Let us be on the same mindset; the that has our Lord be the Core and in our midst on everything we do 24/7.
At the end of the day, this will contribute immensely by placing PNG on the World Map, as a desired, Safe country to visit through the twelve months of the year, and country of interest for our Tourism industry.
I will end by sharing our PNG “The National Pledge
…………………………………………………………
We, the people of Papua New Guinea,
pledge ourselves united in one nation.
We pay homage to our cultural heritage,
the source of our strength.
We pledge to build a democratic
society based on justice, equality,
respect and prosperity for our people.
We pledge to stand together as One People, One Nation, One Country
God bless Papua New Guinea

One thought on “Thaiday backing league”

John Katal says:
January 17, 2019 at 3:00 pm
I am writing as a PNG Citizen now a Permanent Resident in Australia, an Old Boy at Aiyura National High School (1980-81 close classmates of Ifiso Segiaro (R.I.P.), Peter Pena, Abel Yawarico) a Health and Wellbeing/Fitness fan, and a patriotic Papua New Guinean.
Thank you to Johnson Tuke, Kainantu MP and Mining Minister, for your wisdom and trust in ‘Harmony’ through SPORT. Thank you Sam Thaiday for accepting the invitation and your ongoing interest in PNG Rugby and League. We hope to soon an NRL Touch Football as one of the products used to promote healthy living and positive mindfulness for many.
What a fantastic opportunity also, to have our people regain self-confidence and respectful trust for our motherland and what it has to offer for our tomorrow’s generation. Especially promote good citizenship and peace through sport. To promote equality for both the ‘rich’ and the ‘poor’. To maintain a livable spirit, so that our friends from foreign lands can come to a visit, knowing that they are safe. To be positive role models for those around us, especially our families and friends. To let our good actions speak rather than words and violence. We have witnessed a minority of people doing un-Christian acts, e.g. attempting to kidnap MP from other constituents – why? Let us be on the same mindset; the that has our Lord be the Core and in our midst on everything we do 24/7.
At the end of the day, this will contribute immensely by placing PNG on the World Map, as a desired, Safe country to visit through the twelve months of the year, and country of interest for our Tourism industry.
I will end by sharing our PNG “The National Pledge
…………………………………………………………
We, the people of Papua New Guinea,
pledge ourselves united in one nation.
We pay homage to our cultural heritage,
the source of our strength.
We pledge to build a democratic
society based on justice, equality,
respect and prosperity for our people.
We pledge to stand together as One People, One Nation, One Country
God bless Papua New Guinea

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