Vipers eyeing spot in NSW Cup, says official

THE Port Moresby Vipers are pushing to join Australia’s second tier rugby league competition, the New South Wales Cup in the future.
Chief executive officer to NCD Governor Powes Parkop’s office, Dr Newton Albert said the Vipers were serious about competing in the NSW Cup.
This would mean the Vipers would be the second PNG team to take part in a second tier competition in Australia, apart from the SP Hunters who compete in the Queensland Hostplus Cup.
Albert said the Vipers had sent one of its representative recently to Sydney to meet with the NSW Cup officials.
“Recently, we’ve arranged for Vipers manager Ronnie Titi who went down to Sydney and met with officials from the NSW Cup,” Albert said.
“Ronnie went there to discuss and find out the requirements and the process to put a team into the New South Wales Cup.
“The governor (Powes Parkop) is also serious about this. Our aim is to create a pathway to Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) competition.
“Yes we do have the PNG Hunters, there hasn’t been a clear pathway. The Hunters only established a pathway agreement with the Dolphins recently.
“But with the idea of Vipers joining the NSW Cup, we want to establish a good pathway.
“That is why the competition like the NCD governor’s cup is important.
“We want to get talents from there and build them in our development programme and up to the NSW Cup and into NRL.”