It is the time of year that makes every Papua New Guinean believe. Despite the poor infrastructure, financial debts and violence, The Kumals will fly to Australia to represent a nation that perhaps lives and breathes rugby league more than any other country.
Adrian Lam regards himself as more of a Queenslander than anything else.
Deep down though, his heart and soul will guide a Papua New Guinea team that has the potential to cause a big stir come World Cup time.
Surely all those matches against the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII amount to something.
Despite it being a perceived second string squad of NRL players, Papua New Guinea have nevertheless, pitted their talents against the best league side in the world in recent seasons.
And the results have been far from disappointing.
If anything, it is a nation going forward in international league.
In their most recent game against the Prime Minister’s XIII, The Kumals scored thirty points against an Australian opponent that had most of its players playing in the toughest code on the planet.
The Kumals at times played some breathtaking football against high calibre players, among them Nathan Hindmarsh, Michael Jennings, Scott Prince and Terry Campese.
Although their defence needs a lot of fine-tuning, there is no doubt Adrian Lam has a team with unparalleled potential at his disposal.
This is a side that is blessed with speed and attitude. Just imagine them on a dry track on the surfaces of Suncorp Stadium.
Like most amateur league nations, however, New Guinea often rely on the momentum for victory in matches. Although it will be paramount for all sides in this year’s World Cup to start well, the Kumals will want to race out of the blocks.
It is then that they play their best football. And only then will they start believing in the impossible.
Alan Nicolea
Guest
Fela Skola Indeed the island nations have a great opportunity to shine here. What a shame that Anthony Tupou will not be able to play for Tonga. They would have been a real darkhorse bigtime. They still are. Anyway, it should still be a competitive tournament. Better than the 2000 edition for sure.
felo skola
Guest
craig do you have a chip on your shoulder? lol...let countrys that play rugby league globally celebrate their sport if they want to. Or do you feel threatened by the fact that this event might be a success. anyways back to the game. Im tipping PNG and Samoa to be the Dark horses, a bit like Fiji in the Rugby Union world cup. On a side note it is good that most of the pacific island nation countrys will be able to showcase the talent they have in their local leagues and hopefully have a few signed up to play in France , Eng , Australia etc In PNG's case this was the stepping stone for Stanley Gene and Marcus bai to become stars of the game. The more exposure the better.
craig
Guest
World Cup rugby league is a joke.... end of story
Alan Nicolea
Guest
Oikee The Kumals along with Tonga have alot of flair to cause some nasty surprises for the likes of England and co. This world cup may not be as one sided as one thinks.
oikee
Guest
I have already picked them to beat England 1st game. The heat will get the better of the poms and for this reason i think the kumals can win. They are a better side than many people think. Remember what happened to the warriors when they took on the cowboys, heat nearly killed them. Same will happen to england. After that the poms should be alright, once they get further down the coast.