The journey has been far from easy. The national team did not play a match from July 2019 until April 2022 but with New Zealand co-hosting the tournament this July and August, PNG seized the opportunity to qualify by winning the Oceania Nations Cup last July. Since then, results have slid, with Nicola Demaine losing her job as manager and little to no football played over almost three months.
This was the context into which Spencer Prior arrived in November. The 51-year-old brings a wealth of management experience with Australia, Young Matildas and Thailand women’s team.
