The one-day invitational visit to Lihir Island this week, by the PNG Hunters team, was a blessing in disguise for Lihir rugby league, who felt privileged and overwhelmed by the visit.
As part of the team’s community engagement, the Hunters visited Lihir International Primary school to run basic rugby league skills sessions with the students. They also met with executives of Lihir rugby league for a short clinic session on the dynamics of the game, mainly at the QRL elite level.
The meeting was chaired by PNG Hunters CEO Scott Barker, Hunters Captain Ila Alu and senior players like Rodrick Tai, Sakias Komati, and Wessa Tenza. The players were happy to share their individual experiences, especially the systems and development pathways they went through to advance in their rugby league career.
President of Lihir rugby league Issac Kapsa thanked Newcrest Mining for bringing the country’s elite rugby league team to the island. He said it was rare privilege and a boost the local league. Kapsa is now calling on the PNGRFL to look at utilizing the Hunters coaching staff and players as part of their community rugby league strategic plan to enhance development of the game from the grassroots level.
The President also admitted that local leagues around the country are struggling at the moment due to lack of support from PNGRFL in terms of providing qualified high performance development officers who can go out and grow the game from the junior or grassroots level.
The Lihir rugby league affiliates to the PNG Rugby Football League.