The future looks bright for those wishing to pursue a career in Medicine after the announcement by the Minister for Health, Dr. Lino Tom, of his ministry and the National Executive Council (NEC) plans to introduce a standalone Medical University that must be established from 2023 onwards. Dr. Lino, when giving his ministerial statement on the floor of parliament in last week Thursday’s parliament session, said that he will be commencing collaboration with the Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Mr. Don Polye and other stakeholder to progress these possible options. “This will definitely take some time, but a clear work plan will be developed to show how we will achieve this,” the minister stated. He reiterated that health is labour intensive and without adequate workforce, health services will be compromised. Meanwhile, the minister also expressed great confidence in the state of the health system of the country, stating that the health sector has gone through reforms to strengthen and improving health delivery systems. He said the key significant reform being the establishment of the Provincial Health Authorities (PHA) for a unified health service delivery in all provinces in the country. One of his key priorities is to strengthen this major reform by ensuring all relevant legislations are reviewed and amended to remove political interference in the selection of boards so credibility is restored to ensure the people’s health remains in good hands. “This also goes to the selection and appointment of CEOs. The systems established will have to process candidates and provide a list that will be left for the province to select from, not the other way around,” Dr. Lino added. He further stated that his ministry will continue to support the ongoing system, strengthening programs supported by their development partners, especially in leadership and management training and the Public Finance Management training and system building.

With law and order issues escalating at uncontrollable levels at village and ward levels in Rabaul District of East New Britain Province, the establishment of ward development committees (WDC) is timely says Rabaul District Administrator, Benedict Mode. He was speaking at the swearing in ceremony for WDC officials for the Kombiu LLG at Waterhouse Junior High School at Gelagela on Friday (Nov 25). Rabaul District now has successfully established 47 WDCs for its total of 49 wards situated in the four LLGs of Rabaul Urban, Watom, Balanataman and Kombiu. Two wards namely Pilapila in Balanataman and Korere ward two in Kombiu, did not have their WDC swearing in following recent deaths of their ward members. They will await by-election next year. He said the WDC mentoring training and swearing in at this time is very critical and highly timely because the ward governance units and leadership at this level is becoming weaker resulting in law and order issues. He cited the continuous fights and unrest among youths in the communities. Mr Mode reminded WDC officials they have sworn oath to serve the government and must identify and manage minimum standards in their wards with the assistance of LLG and District Administrations. He said it is also important for the District and LLG administrations to lock in budgets and programs to include ward governance and development programs. This includes preparing leadership and laying foundation for good governance at wards level as they will be participating and preparing next 5 years development rolling plans for the ward level up to the LLG and district for this term of parliament 2023-2027.

Writer E Jean Carroll has sued Donald Trump in the US state of New York for allegedly raping her in the 1990s. Ms. Carroll, 78, is among the first to sue under the Adult Survivors Act, which came into effect on Thursday. The state law allows a one-year period for victims to file sexual assault lawsuits in New York over claims that would have otherwise exceeded statute limitations. The former president has denied the allegations against him. Ms. Carroll alleges the attack took place in a New York luxury department store dressing room 27 years ago. The Adult Survivors Act allows victims to come forward if the sexual assault occurred when they were over the age of 18 and took place on a date that exceeds time limits that exists on most felonies. It is modelled after the state's recent Child Abuse Act, which applied to victims who were abused as minors. The Child Abuse Act, which came into effect in 2019, allowed a two-year period for victims to come forward. Around 11,000 lawsuits were filed in New York against churches, hospitals, schools, camps and other institutions under that law. Ms. Carroll has also sued former President Trump for defamation after he accused her of lying when she first made her allegations public in 2019. Mr. Trump has called Ms. Carroll's claims "fiction". A civil trial for that case is scheduled for 6 February. In a statement, Ms. Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said the new lawsuit filed on Thursday is intended to hold Mr. Trump accountable for the alleged assault. Alina Habba, a lawyer for Mr Trump, told US media that, while she respects and admires individuals that come forward "this case is unfortunately an abuse of the purpose of this Act" and "runs the risk of delegitimising the credibility of actual victims". Others are also planning to file lawsuits under the new law. This includes a planned class action lawsuit against Robert Hadden, a former gynaecologist at hospitals tied to New York-Presbyterian and Columbia University, who has been accused by dozens of patients of sexual abuse. Mr Hadden was convicted in 2016 on sex-related charges in state court, but has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of abusing female patients over two decades. Advocates for survivors of sex abuse believe the legislation provides an opportunity for people to come forward who may not have done so previously due to trauma or fear of retaliation. Several other states have also extended or temporarily eliminated their statues of limitation on sex crimes in the wake of the #MeToo movement in 2018, including New Jersey, California, Arizona and Montana. Source: BBC News

Watching Cristiano Ronaldo in the first half of Portugal’s World Cup opener against Ghana on Thursday, you could feel the frustration from the stands. The striker still looked the part, waving to the crowds and receiving the biggest cheer of anyone when the starting lineups were announced before kickoff. He was applauded by fans around the stadium and shirts with his name emblazoned on the back could be seen all over Doha, Qatar, in the buildup to the match. His iconic “SIUU” broke the language barrier with people from all over the world communicating to each other by mimicking the iconic celebration. But while the 37-year-old’s popularity and star appeal remain relatively unchanged, his performances on the pitch of late haven’t been vintage Ronaldo. It was the same story up until the 65th minute of the match at Stadium 974, at which point Ronaldo started making yet more history. If his body might be losing its power, his footballing brain remains as sharp as ever. With his team searching for the breakthrough, Ronaldo used his body to get in front of Mohammed Salisu and hit the floor when he felt contact from behind. It was never in doubt who would take the penalty: Ronaldo picked up the ball and rifled it into the top corner of the net before running to his adoring fans in celebration. The goal had added significance with Ronaldo becoming the first male player in history to score at five World Cups – a feat Brazilian striker Marta became the first player to achieve back in 2019. It’s yet another record to add to Ronaldo’s glittering career and a reminder to everyone that he can still make the difference when it really matters. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored in the previous four tournaments and now has eight World Cup goals to his name. Fleeting press conference Despite winning player of the match and making history on Thursday, Ronaldo wasn’t in a talkative mood. After the coaches of Portugal and Ghana spoke to reporters in the post-match media conference, it was Ronaldo’s turn to answer questions. He was smiling when he walked into the media conference, but before many journalists in the room could even start recording what he was saying, Ronaldo was off again. He delivered a very short answer in Portuguese when asked about his eventful week – his departure from Manchester United was announced on Tuesday – and record-breaking achievement at Qatar 2022. One journalist estimated that Ronaldo was in the room for just two minutes before leaving. Source: CNN

The mass rollout of ward governance mentoring in East New Britain in the past two weeks is an eye-opener for most members of Ward Development Committees (WDC) especially on the demarcation of roles and responsibilities. The 21 days ward governance mentoring and WDC setup program initiated by the Division of Districts and LLGs Affairs under the ENB Provincial Administration is to address the weak system of governance displayed at the ward level. On Thursday (Nov 24), the Balanataman LLG in Rabaul District successfully hosted a swearing-in occasion for 126 officials from its 18 wards. The officials included 18 ward members, 18 ward recorders and 90 chairpersons of sub-committees of identified priority government sectors including health, education, infrastructure, law and order, economic development. Benson Papua, Chairman Infrastructure under the Volavolo/ Clifton Resettlement WDC said he was happy with the approach taken on by ENBPA to strengthen ward governance and clear the confusion regarding respective roles by committees under the WDC “My sector has discussed many projects that we must initiate in our ward. In the past we did not know how to get funding for projects but the mentoring exercise has empowered us with information on which process to follow,” Mr Papua said. John Burua, ward recorder for ward 1 Ratung said the mentoring training now clarifies and sets the different committees apart to place them in their rightful place to perform their roles in the WDC. “Many times people think ward members must deal with all issues faced in the ward not knowing the ward member is just the chairman for WDC which makes decision on development issues in the ward. In turn, ward members must not be confused on their roles so they can delegate,” Mr Burua said. For Robert Egan, chairman for law and order Tavui 2 WDC, he said the training clearly spells out roles and will help him to perform his role in his ward, to maintain peace and harmony. Kunera Felix, ward recorder for economics sector under Volavolo WDC has served in this position for a term saying for the past two years, she has been confused over her role. “This training has helped me to know my boundaries and not to bypass my duties. Now I will tackle some issues that concerns my sector which deals with generating internal revenue for my ward, which has never eventuated,” Mrs Felix said.

Prime Minister James Marape is keen to see the immediate start of work by the bi-partisan parliamentary committee established to delve into and improve the country’s electoral process, with a submission to Cabinet next year 2023. With Papua New Guinea set to mark its 50th Independence anniversary in 2025 and the next National General Elections in 2027, Prime Minister Marape told Parliament Thursday (24/11/22) that he and his government wanted to secure the voting system in time for these two major events and beyond. The Prime Minister was responding to Opposition Leader Joseph Lelang who, during Questions Without Notice, asked the Prime Minister a series of questions on reviewing the electoral process, the work of the parliamentary committee, and citizens identification and how these relate to voting. PM Marape agreed with the Opposition Leader, saying that the many challenges of PNG’s electoral system have become “very serious business” and that the country needed a “better electoral process”. “The parliamentary committee that we established is a bi-partisan parliamentary committee, with members from both the Opposition and Government,” PM Marape said. “We want them to be at work; we want them to have full funding, to be at arm’s length from Government, and have a holistic review into what happened in 2022 (National General Elections), in 2017, 2012, 2007 and going back over the entire process. “We want them to put in an informed, fact-based suggestion to us on how we conduct elections in 2027 and beyond. “The committee has the freedom to establish the terms of reference. The Government will not influence this Committee and its independence of work. “The committee can go to work right away. From the desktop: establish a template, what needs to be done, as well as the detailed work that should start as soon as possible, and run exhaustive work in the early part of 2023. “The overall timeframe I am looking at is that by 2025, we will have arrived at a process clearly – whatever that is.” The Prime Minister said bio-metric voting through the National Identification system would be worked out, especially now that the Government will conduct a comprehensive census next year 2023 to get better data on the population of PNG. He said this would help toward improving the voting system so that by 2027, there is an improved and secured system. “The Government will hold back our commentary and get this committee to recommend to us and certainly the consideration of an independent team to work with this committee can be looked at. “By 2023, the proposal should have matured to submission level that should come to Government for implementation,” said PM Marape.

A man was arrested and charged by NCD Police for demanding compensation in Port Moresby yesterday. The accused John Tobias 38 of Imbongu Southern Highlands Province and his tribesmen allegedly demanded K500,000 from G4S Security company when one of their male relatives employed by the firm, passed away while on duty recently. The aggrieved relatives blamed the company for his death and allegedly threatened the company officials. The company refused to pay but offered K5,000 for funeral expenses, which was rejected and met with threats. The Managing Director of security firm offered K33,000 for funeral expenses which was initially accepted but the Southern Highlanders later demanded a further K11,000, which was refused. Unhappy with the threats and attempt to extort more money, the managing director filed a police complaint and police swarmed the company premises and arrested several people including Tobias. He was charged under section 390 (a) under the PNG Criminal Code Act. He will appear in court soon as Police investigations continue. Source: Police - NCD/Central Divisional Command Fb page

It may have only been a goalless draw but Friday’s result at Qatar 2022 spoke volumes as to where this US Men’s National Team (USMNT) is going. Facing an England team full of superstars that reached the European Championship final last year is no easy task, but the Americans looked more than at home. In fact, the players appeared disappointed as they were cheered off the field – frustrated, perhaps, that they couldn’t find the winner they might well have deserved. But any annoyance shouldn’t last too long with the USMNT still unbeaten against England at World Cups. The sides have now met three times on the world stage with the USMNT winning once and the other two matches ending as draws. The USMNT’s hopes of progressing into the knockout rounds are still in its own hands, knowing a win against Iran on Tuesday will see it through to the last 16. Despite England getting the better of the early exchanges, the US grew into the match and looked the most threatening by halftime. Christian Pulisic saw his effort crash off the crossbar as England struggled to cope with the American’s intensity. It felt reminiscent of the USMNT’s previous match against Wales when it started in brilliant form. On that occasion, this young side struggled to keep up the intensity and suffered a late equalizer through Gareth Bale’s penalty. But against England, the Gregg Berhalter’s side doubled down after the break and continued its waves of attacks against England’s nervous-looking defense. Pulisic, the player of the match, was orchestrating the US fans behind the goal, whipping them into a frenzy as they started to believe their team could beat England, which is ranked fifth in the world. The breakthrough never came but it coped well with a late surge from England, which finally seemed to wake up with no more than five minutes to play. England missed the chance to qualify for the next round but would need to lose heavily to Wales to miss out on a place in the Round of 16. For the USMNT, all eyes turn to the game against Iran, which beat Wales 2-0 in the earlier Group B match. Source: CNN

The 20 Days of Human Rights Activism campaign was launched on Sunday 20 November. Every year, this campaign is used to focus the attention of people across the country on addressing gender-based violence and promoting human rights. Within the 20 Days campaign, 25 November is dedicated to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. As a sign of the National Parliament’s commitment to addressing violence against women and tackling gender-based violence, today the Parliament passed a motion to establish a new Permanent Parliamentary Committee on Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment and Gender-Based Violence (GEWE-GBV). The new Committee will be chaired by Governor Powes Parkop, who has long been a champion of women’s rights and has campaigned tirelessly to end GBV in the National Capital District and across the country. After the vote, Governor Parkop stated: “I would like to thank the Government and my parliamentary colleagues for setting up this Committee, which will enable us to continue the important work we started with the Special Parliamentary Committee on GBV last term. That Committee was only an ad hoc body, but today MPs have voted to make this a permanent committee which means it will be set up by each parliament, after every election, to enable MPs to ensure the rights of our women and girls are realised.” He went on to say: “I will use my position as Chair of this Committee to keep using our oversight powers to hold our government bodies to account for their efforts to empower women and end violence. The work should implement the rights in our National Constitution and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women. If we want PNG to prosper, we must make sure that our women and girls have equal opportunities to participate politically, economically and socially in every aspect of PNG life. They must also be safe – safe in their homes, safe in their workplaces and safe in our communities. I will use my time in this term to make that a reality”. The new Committee has a broader term of reference than the previous Special Parliamentary Committee on GBV. In addition to examining all aspects related to addressing GBV, the Committee has been empowered to examine other issues that impact on gender equality, including women’s leadership, women’s economic empowerment and related GEWE reforms. The Committee can also examine the role of the National Council of Women in promoting women’s rights. Deputy Committee Chair, Governor Allan Bird also made a statement upon the endorsement of the motion, stating: “I am very happy that our 11th Parliament has again demonstrated its commitment to promoting the rights of women and girls through our parliamentary work. Building on the work we did through the last Committee, we will again hold regular public hearings which we will used to hold Ministers and officials accountable for their efforts – or their lack of effort – to address critical issues related to the protection and empowerment of women and girls. We want to see more concrete action to make women’s rights a reality.” The new Committee has six members, in addition to the Chair: Governor Allan Bird (East Sepik), Deputy Chairperson; Governor Rufina Peter (Central Province); Marsh Narewec, (Wau Waria); Ricky Morris (Alotau); William Bando (Koroba Lake Kopiago); and Lohia Boe Samuel (Port Moresby North West). As the new Committee moves to take over the work of the last Special Parliamentary Committee on GBV, both Chairman Parkop and Deputy Chairman Bird also extended their gratitude and thanks to the former chair, Mr Charles Abel, who was not returned to the 11th Parliament. They paid tribute to his energy and commitment, which was critical to making the work of that first Committee a success and should be acknowledged by the whole country as a vital contribution to making PNG a safer, better place for women. They also thanked the other members of the Committee who participated in the two sets of public hearings, andendorsed the two Committee Reports tabled in Parliament, namely Hon Aiye Tambua, Mr Allan Marat, Mr Michael Dua and Mr Ginson Saonu. Chairman Parkop also extended his thanks to other members of the 11th Parliament who stated their commitment for the new Committee but were unable to participate in its work due to their role as Vice Ministers, notably, Kessy Sawang (Rai-Coast) and Raphael Tonpi (Mendi). The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will be providing technical support to the new Parliamentary Committee on GEWE and GBV as part of its gender programming and the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative. This support aims to address GEWE and Gender-Based Violence and support longer-term efforts to promote women’s participation and leadership in the Parliament.

For the past few days, India has been gripped by what's being described as a "murder most foul". Police in the capital, Delhi, have arrested a young man - Aftab Poonawala - on allegations of murdering his live-in partner of three years. They allege that Mr Poonawala murdered 27-year-old Shraddha Walkar in May, chopped up her body into dozens of pieces, stored them in his home fridge and, over the past few months, went around disposing them off - a piece at a time - in different parts of the city. Mr Poonawala is in custody and has not yet made any public statement, but on Tuesday, he told a court that "the information being spread against me is not correct" and that he was "fully cooperating with the police investigation". The death came to light only last week after Ms Walkar was reported missing by her father. Since then, lurid details of the alleged murder have made daily headlines in India, with nuggets of unverified information being fed by unnamed policemen to local journalists. The crime has been dubbed "the fridge murder" and the huge interest in the case has seen news websites running live pages on the investigation that are being updated every few minutes. And anger has spilled over onto the streets - protesters have burnt Mr Poonawala's effigies, demanding strict punishment for him. Lawyers, activists and former police officials have expressed concern at the intense media coverage. Vikram Singh, who retired as director general of police in the state of Uttar Pradesh, called it "extremely irresponsible". "A ball-by-ball commentary is detrimental to the cause of the investigation and disrespects the deceased," he told the BBC. The breathless coverage has also made it hard to separate the grain from the chaff - reports are mired in inconsistencies with little clarity on the facts of the case, including on how the couple met. The relationship Though Ms Walkar and Mr Poonawala lived in the same area in Mumbai city, police say they met on Bumble, a dating app. But in the missing complaint to the Mumbai police in early October, her father says they met in 2018 at a call centre where they both worked. Ms Walkar's relations with her family were strained as they disapproved of her relationship with Mr Poonawala. In his police complaint, her father said he had tried to dissuade her from moving in with Mr Poonawala since "we are Hindus and Aftab is Muslim and we don't marry outside of our caste or religion". But the couple started living together in 2019 and moved to Delhi earlier this year and rented an apartment in Chhatarpur Pahadi area. The couple's friends and the police say the two quarrelled frequently and accuse Mr Poonawala of abusing her. Senior police official Ankit Chauhan told ANI that Shraddha started putting pressure on Mr Poonawala to marry her and that "on 18 May, he lost his temper and strangled her". Ms Walkar's father approached Mumbai police after being alerted by her friends that they had not heard from her for a few months and that her phone had been switched off. What a breakfast murder says about wife beating in India Rising crimes against Indian women in five charts On Wednesday, a handwritten note surfaced that Delhi police said was written by Ms Walkar in 2020 in which she had complained to the Mumbai police that he had beaten her up and "was threatening to kill her and cut her up into pieces" - exactly what police allege happened two year later. Following criticism, Mumbai police responded that the case had been investigated, but "it was closed after she gave a written statement that it had been resolved and there was no dispute". What we know so far? On Tuesday, when Mr Poonawala was asked by a court if he knew what he had done, he replied that "whatever happened took place in the heat of the moment and was not deliberate". His statement was interpreted by some as a confession, but his lawyer Abinash Kumar rejected that Mr Poonawala had confessed to murder and said that he was "fully cooperating with the investigation". Soon after his arrest, police had said that Mr Poonawala had confessed to his crime and given them some leads to find evidence. Thereafter, they searched his apartment and took him to a nearby forest where - they said - "he had disposed of body parts." Police say they have recovered some bones and body parts which have been sent for forensic analysis and will be matched against the DNA samples of her father to find out if they are indeed Ms Walkar's. Armed with metal detectors, police have also been combing bushes in Gurgaon, a Delhi suburb, for knives that were allegedly used to hack the body and after divers fished out some bones from a pond in Delhi's Maidan Garhi area, it was emptied to find more evidence. India's 'criminal-turned-actor' who hid for 30 years On Thursday, the accused underwent a polygraph and is later expected to be put through a narco-analysis test - in which a drug known as "truth serum" is injected into the person before they are asked questions. Even though they are not admissible in court, a judge ordered the tests after police said that Mr Poonawala was misleading them by giving contradictory statements. The missing links On Tuesday, police told a court that 80% of their investigation was complete, but reports say that they are still looking for crucial evidence that would help them build a watertight case. No belongings of Ms Walkar have been recovered from the apartment where the couple lived and some of the evidence may have been compromised as it's been months since the alleged murder. Police say they believe that a "heavy, sharp weapon" like a hack saw or a butcher's knife was used to dismember the body but they are yet to recover it. It is also not yet established if the bones they have recovered are really of the victim and some reports say their quality may be compromised since the remains have been found months after the alleged murder. There has been criticism of Delhi police that they have little concrete evidence and that their case is entirely built on circumstantial evidence that would not stand scrutiny in court. The BBC reached out to Delhi police but officials said they were "busy with the investigation". But retired police official Vikram Singh says there is "abundant evidence and a skilful investigator will be able to get a conviction". Delhi murder probe after body parts found in wood India minister denigrates women for live-in relations "Sometimes it takes time to recover a weapon used in the crime but if you've got a drop of blood or spit or a shred of meat, you can build a watertight case." Besides, he says, there is "enough circumstantial evidence" against Mr Poonawala - "they were living together, there are accounts of neighbours and CCTV footage that shows Shraddha regularly coming in and leaving the house, so he has few escape routes available". Talking to a Hindi newspaper, Mr Kumar, Poonawala's lawyer, said he understood that it was a "challenging" case. "But unless I know the full charges against him, I'm unable to say how easy or difficult it would be to defend him," he added. Source: BBC.Com

South Pacific Brewery’s flagship brand, SP Lager has secured the naming rights for the 2022 Papa Graun Music Festival and Project Hanmak. The sponsorship is worth K500,000.The SP Papa Graun Music Festival will be staged from the 10th to the 11th of December 2022. The terms of the deal include exclusive naming rights of the festival, mention on all communication assets and branding, and signage visibility throughout the festival. “SP Lager has journeyed in the local music arena since the 1950s,” says SP Brewery Senior Brand Manager Miriam Lama. Through the brand’s current slogan “Bungim Yumi” SP Lager continues to bring people together from all walks of life. “As a true Papua New Guinean brand, we are delighted to support community initiatives that bid to preserve our National Content and educate future generations about Papua New Guinea Music, History, Art, and Culture.” The sponsorship also goes towards supporting Project Hanmak. An initiative that encompasses an entire scope of activities broken up into 5 objectives: 1. The Music Database. 2. The Music Pathways. 3. Develop a Music Act. 4. Obtain an Event Music License under the Music Act. 5. Build a Music Museum - The PapaGraun Exhibition Centre, Port Moresby.

The SP PNG Hunters are pleased to announce that former assistant coach and current PNG Kumuls head coach Stanley Tepend has been confirmed as Head Coach of the club for the 2023 season. The club has also named an official 39-man training squad who will begin preparations next week for the 2023 Hostplus Cup competition. Tepend’s appointment as Head Coach is the latest milestone in a decorated professional coaching career that began in Papua New Guinea’s own Digicel Cup competition. Tepend’s successes in this competition saw him win four premierships with the Lae Snax Tigers over a nine-year period before joining the SP PNG Hunters as an assistant coach in 2022. Since then, Tepend has gone on to be named the PNG Kumuls Head Coach and has already enjoyed success at this level in both the mid-year Pacific Test and most recently in the Rugby League World Cup. The club is extremely proud to have secured the services of one of Papua New Guinea’s most accomplished rugby league figures for the 2023 season and SP PNG Hunters Chairman Mr Stan Joyce CSM said he is pleased with the announcement. “Given his capacity as an assistant with the Hunters this year and also his own personal development as a coach, Stanley was the logical candidate,” said Joyce. “He enjoys a strong rapport with the playing group and has a genuine passion for improving and educating rugby league talent coming out of PNG.” “In a short space of time Stanley has already shown us what he can do at a national level, and I look forward to seeing the direction he takes the Hunters in 2023.” The SP PNG Hunters preseason training begins next week, and new Head Coach Tepend said he was humbled and excited by the opportunity. “For me this is a huge honour and I’m really looking forward to the challenge,” Tepend said. “There have only ever been two coaches in the history of this club and I have great respect for what Coach Michael and Coach Matt have done before me. We’ve got a long season ahead of us and I’m excited to get to work with the players and staff.” The SP PNG Hunters have today also confirmed an official 39-man training squad for the approaching 2023 Hostplus Cup season and Tepend said he is pleased with the group assembled. “We’ve got a good mix of returning, experienced players alongside some exciting new talents from the Digicel Cup,” Tepend said. “We’ve made an effort to include players from as many Digicel Cup teams as possible which is exciting for those clubs. Having representatives from each team helps to create a clear pathway from Digicel Cup into the Hunters system. Those club representatives can also have a really positive impact on young players in each region, giving them something to aspire towards.” Tepend said it’s an exciting time for the club as they prepare for the 2023 season on home soil for the first time in more than three years. “We’ve got a strong contingent of World Cup players who will join camp next week and bring a lot to our squad,” Tepend said. “It’s an exciting time for the club. We’re back on home soil next year which is a big boost for us and we’ll be looking to use every advantage when the time comes.” “We’ve also got a great partnership with the Dolphins NRL club which will provide opportunity for four of our players to undertake a first-grade preseason under Wayne Bennett early next year. We will decide on those players internally over the next few weeks and look forward to seeing what they make of that opportunity.” SP PNG Hunters 2023 Official Training Squad Alex Max Alex Rover Benji Kot Bernard Noel Brandon Nima Casey Dickson Emmanuel Waine Epel Kapinias Francis Kembis Henry Wan Ila Alu Jamie Mavoko Jimmy Bob Joe Joe Walames Joel Torombe Joshua Mire Junior Igila Junior Rop Judah Rimbu Kafu Ken Kosova Badi Leon Undupia Limbi Henry Liam Joseph Matthew Jesse Micha Tom Morea Morea Rodrick Tai Saki Peter Seal Kalo Sherwin Tanabi Solo Wane Steven Bruno Sylvester Bulu Tapia Solu Valentine Culligan Wartovo Puara Wesser Tenza Willy Tirang Source: PNG Hunters