The Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Rugby League Competition (NRLC) has made some changes the 2024 Digicel ExxonMobil Cup draws after revising it recently. Following the announcement of the 2024 Public Holidays in January, and working closely with their clubs, some amendments to the original draw released in December were required. The 12-team competition will still kick off on the weekend of the 13th -14th of April. The season will witness the return of Asila Waghi Tumbe after a one-year absence and will host the Gas Resources Central Dabaris in a home match at Minj. There will be 108 matches in the 18 regular rounds with the top six clubs featuring in the final's series commencing on 25th August, and the grand final will be set on 15th September at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby. Excitingly, fans will not need to wait long to see the grand final replay between premiers EPG Enga Mioks and the runner up Bintangor Goroka Lahanis. Their match is scheduled in the round 5 clash in Wabag at the Aipus Oval. PNG NRLC General Manager Mr. Leith Issac expressed his excitement for the 2024 season. "We are excited to announce the revised draws after working closely with our clubs over the last couple of months to make the 2024 competition even better,” he said. “The game will be faster, this competition will illustrate the thrilling brand of rugby league in PNG for all our fans to enjoy across the country.” He later went on to thank the wonderful support and commitment of their sponsors, the clubs and their sponsors as well for another highly anticipated season of rugby league action.

The last time the Panthers lost a grand final was way back in 2020 at the hands of the Storm and they have well and truly set the record since then with three premierships on the bounce. The last time the Storm lost a Round 1 game was 2001, with Craig Bellamy never having lost an opening round match in his remarkable two-decade reign as head coach. After being pushed to golden point by the Eels in Round 1 last year, the Storm again face a massive task if they are to keep the streak going, welcoming the back-to-back-to-back premiers to AAMI Park. Coming off the back of a heartbreaking and controversial loss to Wigan in the World Club Challenge, the Panthers will look to hit back hard and make an early statement as they look to the first team since St George in the 50s and 60s to win four titles in a row. The welcome at AAMI Park is sure to be a hostile one as the Storm defend their turf and their outrageous Round 1 record against the NRL's benchmark side. Source: NRL. Com

Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien lamented his team’s lack of patience and poise in their 28-12 loss to Canberra at McDonald Jones Stadium on Thursday night. After their whirlwind finish to last season, when they built a 10-game winning streak that culminated in a 30-28 extra-time victory over the Raiders in the first round of the finals, the Knights were out-muscled in the middle and looked out of sorts at the end of their sets. “Our game lacked any sort of grit,” O’Brien said. “We were impatient, it felt like we wanted the highlight reel, where the other mob, when you score four tries or whatever on the last play, and they were scrappy tries, but that’s what they wanted. “They wanted to come here and get into a scrap, and I don’t reckon we did, and we got a lesson in what wins the first month of footy. “That’s high completions and working hard all the way through to the back end of the set and not looking for the easy way out. So it’s pretty easy to dissect it, I reckon.” Completing at 90 per cent to Newcastle’s 66, and making only six errors against Newcastle’s 15, the Raiders played the way the Knights expected them to. Knights captain Kalyn Ponga was well contained and made some uncharacteristic handling errors that stymied several attacking opportunities. “We weren’t patient. We know what sort of team Canberra are, and that’s how we had to play tonight and we didn’t do that,” Ponga said. “I think ‘Coach’ summarised it pretty well. That’s how it felt, to be honest. We made too many errors in that first half. “I felt like when we were controlling the footy, we were in control of the game, but yeah. “I thought we started the second half well again too. When we held the footy, completed sets, I felt like we were in control of the game, then little things change momentum. “They were scrappy, they were gritty, and we weren’t.” O’Brien believed the Knights lost their way after a Tyson Gamble try was disallowed in the 24th minute because Tyson Frizell obstructed Canberra hooker Danny Levi in the lead-up. Levi ran into Frizell trying to reel in a run-away Ponga in the middle of the field. Though the Raiders received the penalty, which ultimately led to a Zac Hosking try, they also lost Hudson Young to the sin-bin for 10 minutes because of Young’s late contact on Ponga but the Knights could not capitalise on their extra-man advantage. Frizell scored from a Gamble pass just before Young returned, cutting the deficit to 8-6, but the Knights were out of rhythm for most of the second half and could not build or sustain pressure. Tries to Levi, Xavier Savage and Jordan Rapana in a 20-minute stretch allowed the visitors to skip away to an unassailable 22-6 lead with 10 minutes remaining. Both teams had several tries disallowed but O’Brien offered no excuses, suggesting the Raiders stewed all summer on their finals defeat at the same venue last September while the Knights might have allowed themselves to read too much into his pre-season back-slaps. “The disallowed tries had nothing to do with our problems at the moment,” O’Brien said. “There’s some stuff that we need to take ownership of, so I’m not going to sit here and whinge about that. “The other mob were good. They’ve spent their summer dreaming about coming back here, and we’ve been happy with our summer – and I’ve probably told them too many times how good a summer we’ve had – so I don’t need to do that anymore.” Knights winger Enari Tuala suffered a quadriceps strain just before half-time, putting him in doubt for the game against his former club North Queensland in Townsville on March 16. Source: NRL.com

The National Department of Health (NDoH) is gearing up for a significant recruitment drive following the approval of its new structure by the Department of Personnel Management (DPM). In a bid to ensure a robust, transparent, and effective recruitment process, the NDoH has enlisted the expertise of a reputable, independent PNG-based recruitment firm. The PNG Australia Transition to Health (PATH) program has been engaged to evaluate submissions for Expressions of Interest and appoint the selected firm. This process is expected to finish within the week. The selected recruitment firm will assist NDoH with advertising and filling 164 priority positions, including high-ranking roles such as Deputy Secretary and Senior Executive management positions. The recruitment process for these priority positions is expected to be completed by June 2024, with a plan in place to address the remaining positions thereafter. The NDoH is committed to selecting the right people for the right roles through an open, competitive, recruitment process, setting a precedence for driving excellence within the healthcare sector.

The Raiders will be without veteran Elliott Whitehead for their season opener against the Knights as he battles a calf injury. Whitehead is expected to miss between 3-4 weeks, with his place for Thursday's game taken by new recruit Zac Hosking. Also watching from the sidelines at McDonald Jones Stadium will be Knights hooker Jayden Brailey, who is nearing a return from a hamstring injury. "He's very close, if it's not Round 2 it'd be a definite Round 3," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said on Wednesday. "He looks really good, every time I see him, but given his history, it's a long season and I don't want to rush it." Source: NRL. com

Since the ground breaking ceremony for the proposed new state of the art hospital for the Central province two years ago, the construction work on the K700 million health project is yet to start. This is because the Central Provincial Health Authority (PHA) is still waiting on the technical team from the National Department of Health (NDoH) to do the tender evaluation for the best bidder so that construction work for the proposed Central Provincial Hospital can start, hopefully next year, Central PHA Chef Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. James Amini, said they have sent out the tenders for the master planning and design documentation for the Central Provincial Hospital late last year. They are now awaiting the NDoH to choose the best bidder so that they know the total expenditure before the government can negotiate with other foreign governments to help fund the construction of the Central Provincial Hospital. “For example, if it’s going to cost K700 million, than they will have to negotiate for next year’s budget. So that anything on the construction side will be next year.” But in the meantime, Dr. Amini said they have some funds that are available which can be used to go towards installing the power lines and the water system which they plan to acquire from the provincial medical store warehouse by this year. Dr. Amini also stressed that plans are underway to build their office complex in Bautam and not in NCD.

The SP PNG Hunters squad for the 2024 Hostplus Cup Season in the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) is all set to go with Head Coach Paul Aiton stating that he is proud of how the players and staff navigated a tough and enduring pre-season period, to get to this stage. Coach Aiton proudly unveiled his 30-men squad amidst esteemed guests and sponsors of the Hunters at the Stanley Hotel and Suites in Port Moresby recently. “I am extremely pleased with how the squad has come together and is looking forward to round one this weekend," Aiton said. The SP PNG Hunters will play their very first home game at the Santos National Football Stadium as they host the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls this weekend in Round 1 of the 2024 Hostplus Cup season. Here’s your SP PNG Hunters for 2024: 1. Morea Morea 2. Sanny Wabo 3. Solo Wane 4. Brendon Nima 5. Elijah Roltinga 6. Robert Mathias 7. Clent Lama 8. Gairo Voro 9. Zachariah Selu 10. Jamie Mavoko 11. Joshua Lau 12. Sakias Komate 13. Judah Rimbu 14. Tapia Solu 15. Finlay Glare 16. Whallan Tau-Loi 17. Junior Talin 18. Seal Kalo 19. Junior Rop 20. Jordan Pat 21. Anthony Worot 22. Koso Bandi 23. Manase Kai 24. Weiyah Koi 25. Valentine Culligan 26. Joshua Mire 27. Ila Alu 28. Wendle Kipsy 29. Bruce Bawase 30. Alex Max

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, under the EU-funded STREIT PNG Programme, has collaborated with the PNG government through the National Youth Development Authority (NYDA) to establish Provincial Youth Councils (PYC) in the West and East Sepik provinces to promote youth leadership in agriculture. This initiative aims to empower youths, particularly in rural areas, to have a platform to table youth issues, to become good leaders in their localities, and to contribute significantly to the country's sustainable development through active participation in the agriculture sector. Under this initiative, a series of capacity-building workshops and training sessions where hosted in West Sepik and East Sepik. Through these sessions, 87 youths from the 10 districts representing cocoa, vanilla, and fisheries farming groups, acquired leadership skills and were educated on the structure and mandate of the NYDA, the divisional functions of youth programs, the intricacies of the partnership between the EU-STREIT PNG Programme and the Provincial Administrations, and the importance of youth involvement in decision-making and agri-food value chains. FAO's Gender & Youth Inclusion Specialist Ms. Patu Shang said that the initiative is crucial as it serves as a platform for advocacy and the promotion of youth leadership and innovation in development. "We emphasize the importance of professionalizing agriculture and the participation of youths at all nodes of the cocoa, vanilla, and fisheries value chains, which are key economic drivers in the Sepik region." Mr. Christopher Usuka, the National Director of Programs and Extension Services for NYDA reiterated this in his opening remarks at the workshop. “A formalized Provincial Youth Development Council is a prerequisite for acquiring any form of intervention or support, financial or otherwise from any national or provincial funding basket.” Meanwhile, this initiative also facilitates the establishment of Provincial Youth Councils, providing a formal platform for young people to engage with stakeholders and contribute to policy discussions at Provincial and National levels. This includes mobilizing fellow youths to participate in upcoming elections for their councils and advocating for support from district, provincial and national funding to pursue agribusiness careers. "The Provincial Youth Development Councils will empower young people to become effective community mobilizers and advocates," said Ms. Zilpah Yahamani, Gender & Youth Inclusion Officer of the Programme. "They will play a vital role in fostering the development of a Youth Development strategy, action plan and outreach programs, particularly focusing on promoting agriculture at the local level." During the workshop, the East Sepik’s Youth Development Council Working Committee (ESP-YDCWC) was elected, nominating 7 members (3 women and 4 men). Following the workshops, district youth representatives are expected to engage actively in their communities by organizing awareness campaigns and facilitating the election of District Youth Council Executives with the support of the NYDA. These executives will then be confirmed by the NYDA, which will oversee the establishment of the Provincial Youth Council and will support its efforts in sustainable agricultural and community development.

The Papua New Guinea (PNG) Rugby Football League (RFL), as a full member of the International Rugby League (IRL), is pleased with the completion and the meeting of compliance obligations with the IRL after its 2023 audit submission. Asia Pacific Rugby League (APRL) Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mr. Jeremy Edwards said the APRL Confederation continues to work closely with both the International Rugby League and its members to ensure governance is universally implemented and standards are continually improved. APRL is one of three global confederations that combine to form the IRL. In highlighting one of the sport’s core objectives, Mr. Edwards said it is to improve governance at all levels. “Part of this process is the Annual Membership Audit, which member organizations and the international and regional federations can use as a gauge of progress from year to year. The audit is also a gauge of members’ continuing adherence to the minimum standards for each category of membership.” Following an evaluation of its submission, the PNGRFL was advised that it was compliant with the provisions of full membership. “The PNGRFL is a leader in Asia Pacific and a nation with many years of rugby league tradition and a role model for other nations.” Meanwhile, PNGRFL Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Stanley Hondina said that the game is ever growing and PNG must continue to raise and set standards domestically. “It is important that we stay abreast of the governance requirements and practices on the international front, and meeting the success of this audit is a milestone for our organization," said Hondina. “These are standards that we hold ourselves against at the PNGRFL level.” “We are aware of our journey and that there are key areas that we will continue to work on improving as we keep progressing and will work closely with the IRL in ensuring these areas are addressed this year and going forward,” Hondina added.

The People of the Nakanai District of West New Britain (WNB) province have been urged to unite and work together with the Member and Minister for Oil Palm, Francis Galia Maneke, to develop the new District. Former Talasea Member Francis Marus who had challenged Mr. Maneke’s win in Court said he respects the Court’s decision which has dismissed his election petition. “The right forum to settle election disputes is through the courts not by any other means. I took the matter to court but Court has found that my case lacks substance for the court to progress further and the Court has made a decision to dismiss my case today,” said Mr. Marus. Addressing supporters from both sides, he said the election petition case has ended and he will not pursue the matter in the Supreme Court. “I have the right to take it up to Supreme Court within 14 days but I will not. I will allow my brother to do his job and serve us,” he said. Mr. Marus said WNB and the New Guinea Islands (NGI) region must remain peaceful and anybody who takes the law into their own hands will be dealt with by the law. Meanwhile, in welcoming the Court’s decision Mr. Maneke thanked Mr. Marus for his stance and appealed to supports from both teams and everyone in Nakanai to work together to develop the District. “Our agenda is clear, we have a new District, we are all responsible for our new district and we need to settle down and work in our respective communities,” said Mr. Maneke. The Minister appealed to the people of Nakanai District to stand together and develop the new district to be a model district in the country.

The health staff at the Special Care Nursery (SCN) of the Port Moresby General Hospital can now have ease in making sure that linens which their young patients use will be properly laundered to minimize infections, all thanks to a recent donation of a washing machine. The washing machine was donated by the ex-students of the Sogeri National High School on Wednesday, 21st February. According to SCN Coordinator Dr. Gamini Vali, the gesture brought a sense of relief to the staff because initially a washing machine and a dryer were items needed by the division under the Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) this year. “Infection control in our very vulnerable babies is one of the things that is of concern to us so this donation is very timely,” Dr. Vali said. “We had an old washing machine but the carpenters took it out already so this (washing machine) is going to go straight in and then we start doing our own laundries here for the babies.” Interim Team Leader for the ex-students, Mr. Bill Moi Tau shared that the group had come together to do some alumni work to commemorate the school’s 50th anniversary some years back but had gone their separate ways after that. However, he said a loss of one of their members last year had moved the team to regroup and discuss ways to give back to the community. The group itself consists of a lot of members around the country and evern abroad. “Just before we came in, they were sending in their moral support." " They are all happy that we are doing this, “he said. “Thank you to all my school mates from Sogeri from 1992 to 1993 for making your time available today (Wednesday 21st February) for this small but significant event for our babies and our mothers.”

The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee (PNGOC) is pleased to announce the extension of its sponsorship agreement with Trophy Haus Limited, the leading sports equipment and apparel retailer in Papua New Guinea. The renewed contract was effective from 15th January 2024, and will last for another period of 12 months which includes various benefits for the PNGOC and its members and affiliates. As per the agreement, Trophy Haus Limited will provide Store Credit worth K20,000, a Corporate Discount of 28.5% on PNGOC and Team PNG purchases, and a 20% Discount to members of National Federations. Additionally, Trophy Haus Limited will provide an extra K20,000 to support the running of sports clinics through the Olympic Values Program, while continuing to support PNGOC’s Trukai Fun Run event by selling T-shirts in their various retail outlets. “The extension of our partnership with Trophy Haus Limited is more than just a sponsorship agreement; it's a collaboration that brings real value to our athletes and current 40 member and affiliate National Federations who are looking to purchase sporting equipment and gear for their upcoming preparations and events whilst also supporting our programs and fundraising initiatives", said PNGOC’s Secretary General Desmond Kaviagu.