Super League

With Maika Sivo and Kurt Donoghue both claiming a double at Santos National Football Stadium, the Bati blew the game open early in the piece with the Kumuls unable to match the visitor's speed and class in attack. 

However, the Kumuls refused to lie down despite the scoreline, orchestrating two tries late in the second half to keep the passionate PNG faithful on their feet.

The Kumuls opened their account in the third minute when halfback Lachlan Lam shifted the ball left to find fan favourite Alex Johnston who threw a dummy to split the Bati defence close to the line.

Total Rugby League reported that, with the shortage in outside backs, the club could make a play for Olam who has minimal game time this year at the Melbourne Storm in the NRL. 

With Greg Minikin’s recent departure from the club, the club had Stefan Ratchford and Connor Wrench occupying the Centers for 2024.

Should Olam join the club next year, 2024, he would be a great fit for the club. 

The 29-year-old endured a difficult year struggling to string together the best performance that won him the NRL Premiership ring with the Storm in 2020. 

The Tigers brought Kumuls star Liam Horne in midway through the 2023 campaign, making five appearances to help them over the line in achieving Super League survival.

And having recently recruited his international teammate Nixon Putt for next year, they’ve now made it a trio of PNG talent with the signing of prop Namo.

The decades spent in the wilderness, the countless financial crises, the days playing in front of tiny crowds; they have all just been consigned to the annals of history with one decisive swing of Lachlan Lam’s left boot.

The Leopards will play in their first Challenge Cup final in over 50 years this weekend, and there will be a heavy PNG representation in their group.

Lam himself hails from the country, while the likes of Edwin Ipape and Lachlan Lam have also represented the Kumuls on the international stage.

But they could now represent their club side in Papua New Guinea too, with Leopards owner Derek Beaumont enthused about the prospect of a tour to the country which could involve at least one fixture.

Welsby fumbled before Samoa’s Stephen Crichton kicked the match winning field goal and he put down a Nathan Cleary bomb that led to Brian To’o’s 79th minute try for the Panthers.

“I thought ‘what have I done’. It was reminiscent of the Samoa game where I knocked on and I thought ‘I have done it again for Saints’,” said Welsby, who was man-of-the-match in the 13-12 triumph.

“It is a similar group of lads who just worked so hard to get to where they are, and I have gone and bombed it again.”

Four years ago they were on the cusp of relegation. Now, the Catalans Dragons are the first French side to ever qualify for the Super League grand final.

Next week’s final will pit the Catalans against Leeds or St Helens, but the clash at Old Trafford will also mark the end of James Maloney’s career.

The larger-than-life halfback has announced plans to retire at the end of this season and will now sign off in the biggest game of the year.

Maloney kicked four goals as the Dragons downed Hull Kingston Rovers in a 28-10 victory at a sold-out Stade Gilbert Brutus.

Toronto – only formed four years ago – marked their debut in the top flight by scoring an early try, Liam Kay getting on the end of a grubber kick in the first of two games played at Headingley on Sunday.

Williams was on the bench at that stage and the New Zealander, who last played in the 13-man code in 2014, endured an inauspicious start following his introduction to proceedings, knocking on with his first touch.

Castleford recovered quickly after falling behind, Greg Eden, Grant Millington, Adam Milner and Michael Shenton all scoring tries before the break.

The Super League side announced the arrival of former Australia rugby union international Folau, 30, on Tuesday.

Folau settled a legal dispute with Rugby Australia in December after his contract had been terminated for a "high-level breach" after he posted hell awaits "drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters" on Instagram.

Catalans say "any transgression" from Folau will trigger the immediate termination of his deal.

Saints, who had lost just once in the league prior to Sunday's trip which pitted top against bottom, forced the additional time thanks to Regan Grace's dramatic last-gasp try.

But man of the match Smith showed great composure to land the winning kick when the Broncos took a couple of tackles after a knock-on from Saints to set up the winning moment.

There was no sign of what was to come when tries from skipper James Roby and Luke Thompson helped Saints to a 12-0 lead after 10 minutes.