nib Newcastle Knights Captain and fullback Kalyn Ponga has taken out the Danny Buderus Medal as the Knights NRL Player of the Year. Having overcome significant adversity earlier in the season, Ponga bounced back to lead the Knights charge into the finals and claim a record third Buderus Medal (2018 and 2020 previously). The fullback amassed 18 appearances in 2023, notching eight tries, 40 goals and 20 try-assists, highlighted by a spectacular run of form in the later rounds. In a tightly-contested Player of the Year vote, KP edged out Dane Gagai, Tyson Frizell and Leo Thompson who all had incredible seasons…
Author: Paula David
Fiji’s footballers defeated Solomon Islands 3-0 in Auckland on Wednesday night in the semi-finals of the Oceania men’s Olympic qualifier. The Bula Boys now face New Zealand in Saturday night’s final after the Oly Whites thrashed Vanuatu 8-0 in the first semi-final at Mt Smart Stadium. Captain Etonia Dogalau was the hero for the Fijians scoring twice. Substitute Brendan McMullen scored Fiji’s third at the end. The result is perhaps a small surprise as the Solomon Islanders were in great form coming into the match, beating Vanuatu and Samoa 3-0 and Tonga 5-1 in their group matches. In the final…
Nearly 3000 participants showed up over the weekend converged in Angoram Urban, Ward 14 for the Sepik River Tournament. District Sports Coordinator Nolen Gumaim said the tournament that started on Saturday is their final preparation as they count down the days leading up to the Inaugural Momase Regional Youth Games in Madang. “The event was held in collaboration with the churches and was part of the Repentance Day activities.” “The event was held successfully and all our five LLG’s in Yuat, Keram, Karawari, Marienberg (Lower Sepik) and Angoram (Middle Sepik) in attendance.” “The purpose of the tournament was to engage…
Minister for State Assisting the Prime Minister Justin Tkatchenko MP is in Indonesia this week to assist Prime Minister James Marape MP facilitate the K60 million funding commitment from the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH). Minister Tkatchenko announced this on Friday at PMGH while attending the swearing-in ceremony of the Operation Open Heart (OOH) Foundation board of members. “We secured K60 million for Port Moresby General Hospital on different projects.” “They are going to be rolling them out very shortly as per the Port Moresby General Hospital’s requirements, and we are very happy…
Pat Carrigan may only have the one finals match under his belt, but that single game makes the forward one of the more experienced players in the Broncos line-up, with the squad gearing up to once again face off against the Melbourne Storm to launch this year’s final seriesPat Carrigan may only have the one finals match under his belt, but that single game makes the forward one of the more experienced players in the Broncos line-up, with the squad gearing up to once again face off against the Melbourne Storm to launch this year’s final series. That one game…
After five weeks out of the side, Storm centre Justin Olam made a notable return to the NRL last round against the Broncos, reinvigorated by a recent trip back home to PNG to visit his mother. After injuries earlier in the season dented his confidence, prompting coach Craig Bellamy to send him back to find form with the Sunshine Coast Falcons, Olam has been working hard at his game – and while others might have dropped their heads, the powerful centre knows there’s more to life than just football. “I am very close to her,” Olam said of his trip…
Canberra players have vowed to continue to defy critics as the undermanned Raiders adopt a backs-to-the-wall approach to Sunday’s elimination final against the Knights in Newcastle. After sitting in fourth place at the end of Round 20, the Raiders won just two of their last seven matches to finish eighth, but captain Jarrod Croker said few people outside of Canberra had given them much chance of playing finals at all. “People seem shocked that we are there, but we have pretty much been in the top eight for the past 10 or 12 weeks,” Croker said. “We have played in…
After a long 22 years of waiting, the Enga Mioks will carry home the cup as the premiers of the 2023 Digicel ExxonMobil Cup after displaying a spectacular performance and defeating the Goroka Lahanis in this afternoon’s grand final showdown. Both teams rivalled it out under the steaming afternoon heat in front of a packed house at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby city. The first half seemed pretty tough with both side’s defence strong at play, but after their first attempt with only 6mins into the first half, coming from behind and going in with an extra…
The Vunakunau Primary School in the East New Britain (ENB) province is all set to join the rest of the schools in the country to mark National Literacy Week next week, from the 4th-8th of September. Head Teacher Mr. Steven Taharin said that for their school, they have prepared a weeklong program that will commence on Monday the 4th of September and ending on the 13th of September, when the primary school will be making presentations from the Literacy Week. “All the activities are linked to the up-coming 48th Independence celebrations, like writing the history of PNG through different types…
The SP PNG Hunters have officially ended their 2023 QRL Hostplus Cup season, following a presentation dinner at the Stanley Hotel & Suites, Port Moresby on Thursday, 31st August. The Hunters 2023 campaign can only be considered a success as the proud Papua New Guinean club oversaw a significant roster overhaul this year alongside various changes in the coaching and high-performance staff. To finish narrowly outside the Top Eight on the 2023 QRL Hostplus Cup ladder is a commendable achievement considering the relative inexperience of the Hunters current playing roster. There is no doubt that the club is heading in…