Bright future for the Kumuls

Papua New Guinea Rugby League.

Papua New Guinea is the only nation to call Rugby League it’s national sport. The fans in Papua New Guinea are some of the most passionate fans worldwide. Their players are like no other, exciting, creative and they look like they were carved out of stone. Papua New Guinea’s national team, the Kumuls, despite having all the advantages mentioned, are not matching the likes of New Zealand, Australia and England. Sure, in the past the Kumuls have produced upset wins against Great Britain and New Zealand, and no international Rugby League fan will forget the 2008 World Cup, when we were all on the edge of our seats, biting our nails, hoping, and almost believing that the Kumuls would take out the English.

This may be soon to change. The Papua New Guinea All Schools Rugby League program was launched recently, after the Papua New Guinean Education Minister James Marabe lifted a 50 year old ban on school children not being playing contact sport. In a nation where Rugby League is the national sport this will have tremendous effects. A solid junior development program will give the Kumuls a bright future, with skills being developed and refined from a young age. When you consider that many Kumul stars have only picked up the game as adults, their achievements internationally must be applauded. With the development of the All Schools and other junior Rugby League programs we can only be excited for the future of Papua New Guinea Rugby League, and one day we may see the Kumuls on top of the world, World Champions.

“For more than fifty years children have not been permitted to play rugby league in schools,” explained Papua New Guinean Sports Minister Philemon Embel,  “Today they come together to proudly compete in the All Schools Rugby League Carnival. They are now on their way to realizing their dreams of one day becoming a Kumul and representing their country or playing in the NRL.”

Minister Embel further added, “The ideal situation is that the PNGRFL as the sovereign body and the bid work in partnership to establish a strong sustainable national junior and schoolboy development program. What we witness today is the ideal springboard to develop that partnership.”

The All Schools Rugby League program is an initiative partly inspired by the PNG NRL Bid Team, who hope to one day gain admission to the NRL, Rugby League’s premier club competition. Developing junior Rugby League programs is part of the Bid Team’s plans to achieve their goal.

The Bid Team’s General Manager Bev Broughton was glad for the support they had received and went on to explain, “Developing pathways which will ultimately benefit talent through to NRL level has been our aim as we set the foundations with the great and valued support sponsors and the education department.”

But the PNG NRL Bid is only one aspect of the All Schools program, with the future of the national side, the Kumuls, and Papua New Guinean Rugby League looking brighter than ever.

 

The Papua New Guinea NRL Bid.