Vital to build on relocation

Greetings to all our rugby league family and welcome to our seventh edition of Fulltime Reserve for this year,in our favorite rugby league newspaper, The National.
Whilst the domestic rugby league season is being delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League’s international programmes for 2021 are on track, highlighted by the SP Hunters’ participation in the Queensland Intrust Super Cup this year.
PNGRFL’s other major international programmes which include the PNG Kumuls and Orchids, the PMs 13 and the junior representative programmes are all on schedule for this year with the positive outlook for sports, especially in Australia, in spite of the pandemic.
On behalf of the rugby league family in PNG, we would like to commend coach Matthew Church and the team for their early season performances and also for their conduct on and off the field which has been exemplary.
We also appreciate the tremendous work done by chairman Stan Joyce and the Hunters board and management to ensure the team have great support whilst in Australia.
We are confident that their early form will continue and enable the team to have a great 2021 ISC campaign which bodes well for the PNG Kumuls’ 2021 Rugby League World Cup campaign.
PNGRFL has started work with our partners to strengthen our domestic pathways programmes to build on the success of the Hunters’ relocation.
We know that to ensure the sustained success and viability of the Hunters programme and the game in general, will require continued investment into improving our domestic rugby league systems and programmes.
Key amongst these are:

• Strengthening the PNG National Schools Rugby League programme (boys and girls).
  A major restructure of the competition and tournament model for the PNG NSRL was recently approved by the PNGRFL Board as part of its 2021 calendar. The PNGRFL has also secured a new Naming Rights Partner for the revamped NSRL which will be announced together with the new Board for the PNG NSRL after it is ratified by the PNGRFL Board later this month; and,
• Hunters Under-20s.
  The U20s programme was approved by the PNGRFL board in March of 2020 for participation in the 2021 season but was put on hold due to the pandemic and the work on restructuring and relocating the team to Australia.

With a revamped PNGNSRL programme and the U20s project, PNG will have a great pathway programme from our juniors into the Hunters system.
The two initiatives with the other planned programmes for our member associations, provinces, confederate programmes and the Digicel Cup will place the game in good stead for the future.
PNGRFL continues to work with all our stakeholders and the pandemic response controller to ensure we can commence all these important programmes as soon as the clearance is given.
Until next week, may the grace, love and care of our Good Lord be with you.

Cheers,
Sandis