png halfback

[welshmagpie]

I will dig out my full list later. Off the top of my head:

NRL: M.Bani, P.Aiton, N.Costigan, K.Peters, R.Lui, R.Thompson, D.Mead
NSW Cup: R.Kambo, G.Kepa, J.Nightingale, T.Moari,
QLD Cup: R.Griffin, W.Bond, T.Martin, J.Aston
NYC: J.Segayaro, J.Cooper
UK: M.Yere, M.Aizue, J.Wilshere.

There's almost a full 23 man squad there. Anyone know any I missed?? I have all developing nations eligble lists at home but PNG is the hardest as a heap of players from Nth Qld some class themselves as Aboriginal and some are PNG

UK: M.Mark, C.Wabo

 

[nqcowboy87]

michael bani is torres strait islander like sam thaiday, does he qualify through a grandmother or something

 

[Non Terminator]

Yeah, heritage I think.
Was named in the original WC squad.

 

[nadera78]

I think Sam Joe qualified the same way, but he's just quit the game to become a miner, which is a shame because he looked very promising.

 

[franklin2323]

michael bani is torres strait islander like sam thaiday, does he qualify through a grandmother or something

That's what makes them hard to work out player eligiblity. He's grandparent may of moved to a torres straight island before his birth.

 

[expansionist]

What happened to (showing my ignorance here) the Bond brothers who were QLD cup i recall?

Also the Melbourne Toyotal Cup Hooker? Forget his name...

 

[elyod138]

What happened to (showing my ignorance here) the Bond brothers who were QLD cup i recall?

Also the Melbourne Toyotal Cup Hooker? Forget his name...

Jay Aston, he's with the Northern Pride in the QLD Cup, I don't think he's played much this year so far.

 

[nadera78]

What happened to (showing my ignorance here) the Bond brothers who were QLD cup i recall?

Also the Melbourne Toyotal Cup Hooker? Forget his name...

Michael Bond (very highly rated Broncos junior) messed around at a few clubs for a while and then turned up playin rahrah in Brisbane last season.

Wayne and Joe are still playing in Qld.

 

[PaulyTom]

So what is the team 1 through 13?

 

[roopy]

I think the key is getting the squad together early and training under a good coach.

They need to do what Fiji did before the WC - spend at least 3 weeks in a camp working on combinations and fitness, and doing nothing much else.

All the other sides will have a week together if they are lucky before the comp, and a lot of their time will be taken up with publicity etc, so if PNG can be much better prepared they will give themselves their best chance at being competitive in the early stages, and maybe springing an upset.

 

[BatiFan]

Here are a few more names to add to the previous lists:

Tom Butterfiueld is playing first grade at Redcliffe Dolphins.

Larsen Marabe is at Featherstone, Trevor Exton at Sheffield Eagles, Nicko Slain at Hunslet.

As for who should be number 7, if Thompson is eligible then he definately has to be first choice. Dion Aiye from Rabaul Gurias has all the skills to be a dominant ball player, but I think he is best suited to 6 with Aiton and Ashton sharing 9. The shame about PNG is that they have 5 very good hookers in Aiton, Aston, Wabo, Butterfield and Segeyaro.

The good thing about the World Cup in 2008 is that PNG now have more players playing at a higher level in the UK and guys like Menzie Yere, Jessie Joe, Michael Mark and Larsen Marabe will all be 100% better players come this years 4 nations than what they were at the WC and then you have David Mead who shown to prominence at the WC who has kicked on. Plenty more depth than ever before.

 

[elyod138]

I found an old article with some quotes from Thompson - http://www.rlcm.isntweb.net/latest-news/1090-rugby-league

Thompson said the thought of playing for Papua New Guinea had spurred him on to perform well in 2009.
“I had a few injuries and didn’t play too well so this year wasn’t the best for me,” Thompson said.
“But knowing that if I work on my game and train hard, that playing for the Kumuls one day is not out of reach – it’s really encouraging.
“My mum was born there and my dad has always gone over to PNG for work and he’s told me how they just live and breathe footy, so it’d be a great thing to represent them one day.”

In an interview a couple of weeks ago he said playing for QLD and Australia is a long term goal for him, so I'm not sure where that puts his eligibility for PNG.

 

[Non Terminator]

Interesting.

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

He would be smart to play for the Kumuls too

 

[nqcowboy87]

jay aston is running around in the cairns comp at the moment, he isnt even getting alook in at the pride, although thats probably the coach more than anything

 

[BatiFan]

A potential backline for PNG could read:

1. David Mead (Titans)
2. Michael Mark (Hunslet)
3. Menzie Yere (Sheffield)
4. Jessie Joe Parker (Featherstone)
5. Larsen Marabe (Featherstone)
6. Dion Aiye (Rabaul Gurias)
7. Ray Thompson (Cowboys)

Not a bad line up!

 

[nqcowboy87]

id say the starting halves and hooker should be at least qld/nsw cup standard minum

 

[Non Terminator]

Peters or Aiton would go well at halfback. The other, or Wabo at hooker with Aiye at five-eighth. The combination they used last year (forgot lol) was good.

 

[Titanic]

The issue for all those players is that they put their hands up for whoever wants them .. 2 kina meri's - for all you posters who are truly PNG, you'll understand that. We've had to deal with them since... forever.

How about picking those who are the best in their positions and want to be Kumuls?

 

[nqcowboy87]

The issue for all those players is that they put their hands up for whoever wants them .. 2 kina meri's - for all you posters who are truly PNG, you'll understand that. We've had to deal with them since... forever.

How about picking those who are the best in their positions and want to be Kumuls?

well most minor nations who have players who are eligible for both australia and that particular nation will pick australia, origin, better standard tests and more frequent tests. i wouldnt agree with them being prima donnas but it does hurt when you dangle origin and four nations in front of a player or 2 tests against a warm up australian side and a fiji selection squad, theyll pick australia. the thing is raising the profile of the game and standard, but unfortuenatly i think one of the only ways to do that in png's case is for the country to get itself sorted. i really dont belive we should be sending off players who work 15 hours a day 6 days a week for minum wage and train twice a week to england up against players like inglis and thurston