AFL PNG

Five Hundred students from both private and public schools turned up at the event. AFL PNG Development Manager David Topeni was surprised at the massive turnout.

“I was expecting 300 kids turning up but 500 kids turned up in the morning to be part of our program.

“We are not supposed to be registering the new kids, but just because they are already here, we have to give them opportunities.”

Due to continuing uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two to three years and other related factors, this affected the hosting of annual national rules championships in the country which subsequently impacted the international calendar.

AFL PNG Senior Football Community Manager, Rex Leka said with all that behind, 2024 now looks promising with the renamed Pacific Cup now set for November.

 Conducted by Patrick Lloyd, representing the PNG Muruks - AFL, the training sessions mark a collaborative moment in cross-code cooperation, showcasing a commitment to innovation and athletic development. 

Former players from the Gordons Kokokfas AFL club who have had an array of exposure at various levels of the code are banking on their experience and passion to develop the next AFL stars of tomorrow.  

Led by former PNG Flames player Valerie Mai, the club has introduced a development team into the NCD Schools NiuKick competition. Mai heads the development team with the assistance of Hapeo Bobogi that looks after the U13 and 15 boys and the U15 girls teams.

Alang Vinnie Isaac did follow in the path of his brother ringing bells with her melodic voice and winning the Digicel Stars contest back in 2012. She continues to be an entertaining singer today and maintaining her love for singing on the stage.

Then she added to her rising talent flaunting the fashion parade boardwalks in PNG and overseas modeling.

And just now Alang Vinnie Isaac takes up a man dominated role in the sport of AFL PNG, back home in Lae City.

Dockers boosted by their new informs buried a strong Cats outfit 36-24 in round 11 and will be aiming to maintain their winning spree over Tigers this weekend.

The inflated ego of TSI Lamana Dockers over their new uniforms from sponsor, Teachers Savings and Loans, will be keen to add fast improvers University Tigers to their list of victims on Sunday, what is expected to be an entertaining clash.

But the Tigers are presently playing a much improved version of their opening matches and the Dockers winning spirit will be stretched to limit to beat them.

Scores of students battled for spots in the academy, to be co-run with the Australian Football League.

The Youth Talent Identification Carnival follows from the Niu Kick Program launched early this year and the school invitational competition currently being run.

Players who catch the eye of selectors will participate in redevelopment academy.

Australian Football League Pacific Program has been assisting and will lead the academy by providing fundamental training skills.

AFL PNG senior football community manager, Rex Leka, said the last 12 months have been really good for the fraternity with plans to improve the sport in other provincial centres.

AFL PNG has certainly made some great headlines in 2017 when Mosquitos capped off the year by defending and winning their 2014 premiership title in the International Australian Football League Cup, against New Zealand.

“It was a really good sign of the code moving forward. I hope we can make it 3 in a row in 2020,” Leka said.

Danny Frawley and Sabrina Frederick-Traub will be the special guests at AFL PNG’s fundraiser for the national Men’s and Women’s AFL teams on July 15, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Port Moresby.

Funds raised will be to send both teams to the upcoming AFL International Cup in Melbourne later in August.

Both Frawley and Frederick-Traub have scaled the heights of the Australian national game. 

Frawley played 240 games and captained the St Kilda Football Club in the 1980s and 1990s. 

The final teams will be put together from the train-on squads to represent PNG in the 2017 International Cup, to be held in Melbourne, Australia.

This is the sixth International Cup that the PNG Mosquitoes will participate in and the second for the PNG Women’s team- the PNG Flames. 

 2017 MOSQUITOES: