Trio to debut

KUMUL debutant Richard Pandia is set to start on the wing in Michael Marum’s side to face the Cook Islands tomorrow.
The other debutants are set to come off the bench for the PNG LNG Kumuls in the Pacific test at Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney are Tommy Butterfield and Nixon Put in a side that has had to be rejigged after the withdrawal of Nene Macdonald and suspension of Willie Minoga.
Ipswich Jets winger Pandia becomes Kumul No. 279, emulating his older brother Sebastian, who last played for PNG at the 2013 World Cup.
Butterfield (280) and Put (281) also etch their names into the record books.
Marum said from their camp at Penrith that the three debutants had been playing well for their Intrust Super Cup teams in the Queensland Rugby League competition and had been rewarded with a test jerseys.
“Richard will start on the wing with Adex Wera moving to the centres,” Marum said.
He said Wellington Albert and Israel Eliab would start off the interchange bench.
PNGRFL chairman Sandis Tsaka would present the jerseys to the debutants at the team hotel tonight.
Captain Rod Griffin will lead a side low on NRL experience, with Justin Olam, Thompson Teteh, Luke Page and Ryhse Martin the Australian-based players. But the advantage the Kumuls have will be the fact that most of their squad are from the PNG Hunters — meaning they will have combinations — and Marum will hope to gain the early ascendency off the back of a rolling pack and good set completions.
The Kumuls spine of Boas siblings in the halves Ase and Watson, hooker Wartovo Puara andfullback Stargroth Amean, have that familiarity and form together and this should give them an edge over the Cooks. The game kicks off at 3.15pm at Campbelltown Sports Stadium tomorrow. It will be broadcast live on EMTV. This will be followed by Tonga v Fiji at 5.30pm, with the last of the triple-header at 7.40pm between England and Samoa.
Kumuls: 1. Stargroth Amean 2. Justin Olam 3. Thompson Teteh 4. Adex Wera 5. Richard Pandia, 6. Ase Boas (vc) 7. Watson Boas 8. Henry Noki 9. Wartovo Puara 10. Luke Page 11. Rhyse Martin 12. Rod Griffin (c) 13. Stanton Albert; Interchange: 14. Tommy Butterfield 15. Wellington Albert 16. Nixon Put 17. Israel Eliab.