Cutters To Kick Off Pre-Season Trials

West New Britain franchise, the Kimbe Cutters are set to kick off their pre-season selection trials with the Kimbe 9s Challenge scheduled for mid-January, 2022.

The 9s tournament has been booked for the 14th, 15th and 16th of January, 2022.

The Cutters, who are looking forward to their 3rd season in the PNG National Rugby League competition, are committed to creating pathways for more young talents from within and out of the province to be scouted for the 2022 season.

Cutters team manager Freddie Kumai said the Kimbe 9s challenge is slated for the 14th, 15th and 16th of January, 2022 and sponsored by West New Britain Governor Sasindran Muthuvel with major cash incentives on offer.

Kumai said they anticipate to register 16 teams for the men and 10 for the women.

He added the winners of the tournament will walk away with a grand prize of K10,000 with the Muthuvel Cup, while runners up, third and fourth placings for the men pocket,K5,000,k3,000 and K2,000 respectively.

For the women’s division, winners pick up K5,000 with trophy while 1st runner-up gets K4,000; 2nd runner-up K3,000 and third place K2,000 

While the main objective of the 9s is to target more young talent from within the province, Kumai said they have also sent invitations to neighboring East New Britain and Morobe with expression of interest also coming from Kainantu Eastern Highlands. 

The 9s tournament is also a pathway or platform for selectors to go rural and explore untapped natural relents especially from  Hoskins, Cenaka, Bialla, Kandrian, Kove and Bali Vitu, and draft them into the Kimbe Cutters presented seasons training squad.

Author: 
Terry Longbut