rugby league

Kikau and Koroisau are very important players and their absence will prove critical for the side. However, Batis hooker, Penioni Tagituimua, is confident the team will do well.

Tagituimua said, ‘it is a big loss knowing that Api Koroisau and Villiami Kikau all those players missing the team but it still feels the same. It’s a good feeling knowing some young blocks coming in, especially for the long run.”

The league is keen to make headway sooner rather than later. Hill confirmed that although PNG has a big chance of making the NRL’s expansion team, his focus is on pathways and development of rugby league in PNG, with eyes set for 2025.

He was responding to a 7news report of Thursday, 19 October 2023 that NRL is on the blink of announcing PNG as the 18th team joining the NRL Competition starting in 2025.

“No new information. We are still focused on pathways, development, and getting the right people involved. Exciting times,” said Hill.

Holbrook said Olam is nursing an injury and is likely to sit out the remainder of the Pacific championship campaign. However, the boys from England are expected to be available for the match against Fiji Bati on October 29.

Holbrook said, “I’d love Justin to be playing as he wants to play but at the moment he's doing his rehab down in Melbourne when he picked up the injury in his last game.”

Holbrook blooded six Test debutants in his first match as Kumuls coach and they all impressed as the new look PNG team romped to a 46-10 defeat of Cook Islands at Santos National Football Stadium on Sunday.

The Kumuls will be bolstered by the return of England-based stars Edwin Ipape, Rhyse Martin and Wellington Albert, while injured Storm centre Justin Olam may also be available for the October 29 clash with the Bati in Port Moresby.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the swap would see the Tigers acquire Olam while the Storm would get forward Shawn Blore in return.

If completed, this would be the second player swap between these two clubs in three years after Storm hooker Harry Grant was loaned to the Tigers for the 2020 season in return for centre Paul Momirovski.

The news of Olam being shipped around by Melbourne doesn’t come as much as a surprise, considering he was in-and-out of the first grade side and wasn’t selected in the Storm’s qualifying final against the Broncos.

Laybutt, who played just six Queensland Cup matches for Sunshine Coast Falcons this season, impressed new Papua New Guinea coach Justin Holbrook when he took on the captaincy role in last month’s Prime Minister’s XIII match.

With Leeds second-rower Rhyse Martin not due to join the Kumuls squad until their next match against Fiji on October 29 after his partner Vanessa recently gave birth to a daughter Mya, Laybutt has again been given the job.

With player of the match Payne Haas and fellow big man Tino Fa'asuamaleaui leading the charge the Kangaroos blew the game open before their rivals had time to settle.

The world champions opened their account in the fifth minute when Haas took a short ball from Isaah Yeo and carried three defenders over the tryline with him to make it 6-0.

Four minutes later it was skipper James Tedesco leaving Izack Tago in his wake on the left edge before Fa'asuamaleaui powered over in the 13th minute and the Kangaroos had a 16-0 lead.

2023 has been a remarkable season for the 27-year-old veteran when he made his NRL debut for St George Illawarra Dragons in their round 19 clash against Canberra Raiders.

Although he was part of the 2022 rugby league world cup in the UK last year, coming back to Port Moresby for the Pacific Championships this time around is a home coming for the versatile white Kumul veteran.

Karmichael Hunt named his first Cook Islands squad, having taken over from Tony Iro as head coach.

The Cook Islands are the last team to name their squad for the Pacific Championships tournament, which features six teams split into two divisions. Australia, Samoa and New Zealand play in one division, while the  Cook Islands battle PNG and  Fiji in the other.

The Cooks who play both of their games in Port Moresby will see NRL experience from the likes of Parramatta Eels' prop Makahesi Makatoa and Esan Marsters as well as South Sydney Rabbitohs prop Davvy Moale.

During a brief return to the NRL in 2021, Hunt was convinced by his then teammate Alex Glenn to head away to that year’s World Cup with the Cook Islands, a nation he qualified for through his mum Matera who hails from the island of Rarotonga.

But when the pandemic caused the tournament to be postponed, and Hunt stepped away from top-level footy at the end of that season, dreams of a final fling on the Test scene disappeared.