Santos Cup - PNG Womens National Competition

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Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League | Port Moresby

Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. 13,045 likes · 79 talking about this. The Official Facebook page for the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League.

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25 July 2024
For immediate release
MEDIA RELEASE:

PNGRFL ANNOUNCES SANTOS CUP WOMEN’S COMPETITION

Rugby League in Papua New Guinea is described as the sport that unites the country. A giant step has been taken to strengthen that role with the launch of the Santos Cup
The Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) and Santos today announced the formation of the first ever National Women’s Rugby League Competition, to be known as the Santos Cup.
The PNGRFL, in partnership with Santos, PacificAus Sports and Kumul Minerals Holdings Limited, will support the women’s competition which will see talented female players compete in a six-team competition across seven weeks. The competition will empower our female players, energise the sport and excite our fans.
PNGRFL Chief Executive Officer Mr Stanley Hondina said, “This is a proud and historic day in the history of rugby league in this country. It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talent of our female players in a high-performance environment. It demonstrates the opening of our pathway to be more inclusive of females in the game.”
“Creating a new competition wouldn’t be possible without the support of our wonderful partners. Santos is our long-term corporate friend and is deeply committed to the women's game. In this partnership, the business is extending its support of rugby league beyond the Santos PNG Orchids to become the naming rights sponsor of this inaugural competition, the Santos Cup. The commitment of PacificAus Sports to the growth of our women’s game in this country is unwavering. We should be so excited to use rugby league as the vehicle to empower our women in this country and to recognise their contribution to the sport,” Hondina added.
Santos Country Chair - PNG, Mr Leon Buskens, said, “Equal opportunity for women continues to be a priority for us at Santos and we are extremely proud to be an ongoing sponsor of women’s rugby league in Papua New Guinea. The Santos Cup is further testament of our commitment towards empowering women and girls. Through sports and rugby league, we are influencing mindsets and providing a great platform for our women and girls to achieve their dreams and to be heard and seen as a positive and powerful force in society. This was clearly demonstrated by the national women’s rugby league team, the Santos PNG Orchids, who finished just one game away from the last Rugby League World Cup in 2022. The Santos Cup, the first ever Women’s Rugby League Competition in PNG, will provide more opportunities for our women and girls to excel in the sport and beyond. This is a significant step forward for us as a country and at Santos, this goes to our values and building a better future for PNG.”

 

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The 2024 women’s competition will see the participation of the six franchises which are;
1. Central Dabaris
2. East New Britain Gurias
3. Goroka Lahanis
4. Lae Tigers
5. Mt. Hagen Eagles
6.Port Moresby Vipers.

The competition will kick off with all teams playing a triple header on Saturday the 3rd of August at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby with matches to be played in Goroka, Kokopo, Lae and Minj in the coming rounds.
The Santos Cup will culminate on grand final day on the 15th of September 2024.

 

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Seasons Draw.

 

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Official launch of the competition last night.

Santos Cup - PNG National Women's Competition | Port Moresby

Santos Cup - PNG National Women's Competition, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. 1,510 likes · 12,471 talking about this. PNG's National Women's Rugby League Competition

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The official season launch of the 2024 Santos Cup, PNG's first National Women's Rugby League competition

A historic moment for rugby league, as women in our sport, are now able to asipire to and to participate in an elevated level of competition, week in and week out for the first time, in 2024.
We are delighted to have the Central Dabaris, East New Britain Gurias, Goroka Lahanis, Mt. Hagen Eagles, Lae Snax Tigers and the Port Moresby Vipers participate in this inaugural year of competition.
Tenk yu tru to our steadfast partners,Santos Ltd the Australian Government and the QRL - Queensland Rugby League through the PacificAus Sports, KMHL and Digicel.

 

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Competition kicks off this weekend.

 

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Santos Cup - PNG National Women's Competition | Port Moresby

Santos Cup - PNG National Women's Competition, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. 1,510 likes · 12,471 talking about this. PNG's National Women's Rugby League Competition

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We are super excited to have Women’s State of Origin Queensland Maroons Head Coach, Tahnee Norris in country working with our Santos Cup coaches and players.
Tahnee joins us as part of the QRL - Queensland Rugby League 's partnership with the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League in growing the game in PNG through PacificAus Sports.

 

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SANTOS CUP TRAINERS UNDERGO SPORTS MEDICAL TRAINER COURSE

The Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League hosted 18 participants in a 2-day Sports Medical Trainers Course with Trainers as part of the inaugural National Women’s Competition, the Santos Cup.
The course was run from the 31st July to the 1st August 2024 at the National Football Stadium by the Australian Frontline Solutions (AFS) and made possible through support of PacificAus Sports

This is the second course facilitated by Matthew Harrison from the AFS, following on from earlier this year with trainers from the Digicel-ExxonMobil Cup and SP PNG Hunters. This course included participants from the Gulf Isou and PNGRFL staff.
Key topics that were covered are First Aid, Advanced CPR, Spinal Injury Management and Sports Taping.
Australian Frontline Solutions (AFS) brings extensive experience and expertise, particularly from their role as the primary education provider to the National Rugby League (NRL).
Participants will benefit from AFS's in-depth knowledge and practical approach to sports medicine.

 

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Matches for Round 2 are in 3 different locations.

 

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Santos Cup - PNG National Women's Competition | Port Moresby

Santos Cup - PNG National Women's Competition, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. 1,510 likes · 12,471 talking about this. PNG's National Women's Rugby League Competition

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WOMEN’S RUGBY LEAGUE ON THE RISE - QUEENSLAND MAROONS COACH VISITS SANTOS CUP TEAMS
Rugby league in Papua New Guinea is moving upwards and onwards, following the launching of the first ever national women’s rugby league competition in the country, the Santos Cup. The competition will see six teams compete over a seven-week period.
Now entering the third round of games, the players have been given a technical boost in performance on the turf from State of Origin, Queensland Maroons women’s Head Coach, Tahnee Norris. Coach Norris has been in PNG since the inaugural kick off at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby, witnessing matches between the franchise teams Central Dabaris, Mt Hagen Eagles, Port Moresby Vipers, ENB Gurias, Lae Snax Tigers and the Goroka Lahanis.
Coach Norris has been spending time moving between provinces to impart training to players and to share knowledge with coaching staff. She says it has been a fantastic experience observing the playing standard of the girls at the historic opening round of the Santos Cup and how it was providing an opportunity for the growth of women’s rugby league in PNG.
“It’s fantastic to see the women’s game growing so much in PNG and the fact that the Santos Cup has come about to actually provide an opportunity for these girls and the pathway system to hopefully gain further representation whether that’s through NRLW or through Orchids in future,” says coach Norris.
The Queensland Women’s coach is in PNG to provide coaching expertise toward the growth of the Santos Cup and women’s rugby league in general. The Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) has been working closely with the Australian government and QRL - Queensland Rugby League to build a working development pathway for men and women rugby league players in PNG, under the PacificAus Sports program.
PNGRFL CEO Stanley Hondina said, “The competition demonstrates the opening of pathways to be inclusive of females in the game. We understand that sharing knowledge and having resources like Tahnee to work with and mentor our upcoming coaches and staff, especially working in the women’s space, is extremely important.”
In the long run, coach Norris would like to see the women’s competition grow here as she had witnessed in Australia, stating that more people are starting to follow women’s rugby league. She added that the support from the local crowd was excellent and would like to see this continue throughout the season.
The trip is Tahnee’s first to PNG and she says it has been an amazing experience for her so far and is keen on visiting the other regions. Coming from regional Queensland herself, coach Norris is excited about travelling to meet with the girls on their home turf and sharing her experience with the teams.
Tahnee is also a former rugby league player in Australian Women’s Rugby League, having played 17 matches for the Australian Jillaroos, and is among the first cohort of women to be inducted into the prestigious NRL Hall of Fame this year.
Coming off a state of origin series winning performance recently, the coach is positive of what the future holds for the local women’s rugby league. “You can only see what we’ve done in Queensland to see the pathways and what it’s got to now, and to have sellout crowds at a state of origin; that’s where it will get to (in PNG). To now have this opportunity for girls to play in this Santos Cup and have that pathway in place now, I think it’s exciting times for not only women’s rugby league in PNG but PNG rugby league in general so, I can’t wait to see what it provides for in future, for sure,” she says.
The PNGRFL, in partnership with Santos Ltd, PacificAus Sports, Kumul Minerals Holding Limited and Digicel have invested in the Santos Cup as the country’s first national women’s competition.

 

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Vipers 16 Dabaris 12

Just seen the highlights. Looks the best game of the comp so far. Incredible conversion took Dabaris to a 12-10 lead. Neat footwork for the winning Vipers try.

All very encouraging, apart from the TV commentary. Same as Digicel Cup.

 

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Vipers 16 Dabaris 12

Just seen the highlights. Looks the best game of the comp so far. Incredible conversion took Dabaris to a 12-10 lead. Neat footwork for the winning Vipers try.

All very encouraging, apart from the TV commentary. Same as Digicel Cup.

Yes, definitely best game so far this season.
Hard to believe it's the Vipers first win for the season.

 

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From a pathways perspective, I imagine administrators see the Santos Cup as developing players for a future PNG team in the Queensland Premiership. Where they would be in the shop window for NRLW clubs.

Belinda Gwasamun is currently with high-flying Wenty Magpies in the NSW Premiership. I saw the Orchids games against England and Canada over here at the WC. Belinda was a standout. Definite NRLW potential.