Six players who featured in this year's NRL Telstra Premiership grand final have been named in a strong Toa Samoa squad to contest this year's Pacific Championships. Premiership-winning Penrith Panthers quartet Stephen Crichton, Spencer Leniu, Izack Tago and Brian To'o will be joined by Brisbane Broncos duo Keenan Palasia and Jesse Arthars in new coach Ben Gardiner's squad to take on Australia and New Zealand in the tournament starting later this month. However, with Panthers five-eighth Jarome Luai ruled out with a shoulder injury he reaggravated in the win over the Broncos, fresh faces including Daejarn Asi and Karl Oloapu, as well as Crichton are expected to spend time in the halves. Dubbed "the minister for energy" by Gardiner, the coach said he was hopeful to see Luai join the squad and would still be a "close part of what we do". After guiding his side to their first ever Rugby League World Cup final last year, Samoa will again be led by Eels skipper Junior Paulo who said the tournament would provide his team with "another opportunity to shock the world again". "With the balance of young and senior players, it's definitely a good combination that we have got going," Paulo said. Samoa will play its first game of the Pacific Championships against Australia in Townsville on October 14. Source: NRL.com

SP PNG Hunters superstar fullback and 2023 QRL Hostplus Cup Rookie of the Year, Morea Morea is back home with his family following a successful surgery on an injured ankle this week. Morea injured his leg while making his international debut for Papua New Guinea’s PM’s XIII representative side against the Australian PM’s XIII squad at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby last weekend. Morea’s leg was caught up in an unfortunate tackle in the game and the young fullback was forced from the field. Post-game scans revealed a small break in the young fullback’s ankle. Following the injury, the PNGRFL and SP PNG Hunters have ensured that Morea has received first class medical treatment. He successfully underwent surgery this week at the Pacific International Hospital and will continue to receive support from both Papua New Guinean and Australian medical professionals as he progresses with his rehabilitation. Following a successful surgery and pending an uninterrupted rehab period, the SP PNG Hunters and PNGRFL expect Morea to return to play within 6 months post operation. The injury comes at an unfortunate time, given Morea was likely in the frame for PNG Kumuls selection in the upcoming 2023 Pacific Championships. The SP PNG Hunters expect their star fullback to be back in training for the club’s 2024 Hostplus Cup pre-season preparations, sometime in early February.

While many nationwide celebrated the birth of this great nation, the Port Moresby General Hospital Labour Ward delivered a total of 35 health babies. Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist & Acting Coordinator for the division Dr. Robert Johns said, apart from the usual busy days experienced at the ward, it was a quiet independence day for his team. He said, they received a total of 30 admissions and 5 extra deliveries where from the previous day. “Our load for yesterday, independence blessings, were all okay at birth and none were sent to the special nursery care. And of the 35 deliveries, 2 mothers needed operative delivery and had a cesarean.” Dr. Johns also mentioned that they did not have any maternal deaths or any newborn deaths and was considered to be a very blissful day at the hospital. He said, even though the labour ward has a total of 24 beds, some mothers who went first were sent to the post-natal ward to free up space for incoming deliveries. “We don’t have enough beds, and sometimes, mothers require longer stays up to 24 hours on the bed due to complications or their labours may be pro-longed which takes up bed space, but we try our best to help our mothers deliver safely and get them moved. “Others come in, deliver and get moved to the post-natal ward after 3 hours, which is good because that helps us to clear the bed for another mother to come in and deliver.” Dr. Johns further stated that all the staff were in good spirits and all deliveries went well. The Labour Ward also had enough medical supplies for that day. Meanwhile, the heaviest baby delivered during independence was a baby girl weighing 4.3kg.

The FIBA Under- 17 (U17) Oceania Championship will soon kick off this year in October with only less than 20 days to go. Five men’s teams and four women’s teams will compete in the regional championships with two spots up for grabs at the 2024 FIBA U18 Asian Championships. Reigning champions in both the men’s and women’s competitions, Australia will be out to defend their crowns when the tournament starts on Monday October 2 at Sir John Guise Stadium, Port Moresby. Held across six days, FIBA Executive Director – Oceania, Amanda Jenkins said that the tournament is shaping up to be hotly contested with youth development surging across the region. “We have noticed that while Australia is still strong in the youth ranks, federations like New Zealand, Samoa and Guam are now reaping the rewards of solid investment in youth development.” “As host, Papua New Guinea will also be eager to impress in front of their home crowd, so we are excited to see what this tournament produces.” “At the previous edition of the FIBA U17 Oceania Championships in 2019, we saw Josh Giddey light up the men’s competition hosted by New Caledonia, while in the women’s competition, Parris Mason represented New Zealand, going on to suit-up with Tall Ferns at the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup earlier this year.” If history is anything to go by, Sir John Guise Stadium is set to become another show court in Oceania to unearth the next generation of basketball stars. This will be the first major FIBA event held in Papua New Guinea (PNG) since the pandemic. With just a few weeks of preparation left, Basketball Federation of PNG will officially launch the logo, announce the main event sponsors, and announce the BFPNG U17 National Teams for both men and women. The Basketball Federation of PNG is proudly supported by the Australian Government through PacificAus Sports and Team Up in partnership with FIBA Foundation.

The 57th Medical Symposium officially started on Monday in the nation’s capital that saw over a hundred doctors and medical professions from around the country attend this vital gathering to address issues surrounding cancer and the way forward. In the absence of the National Department of Health Minister (NDoH) Dr. Lino Tom, NDoH Secretary Dr. Osborne Liko gave his remarks on his behalf saying, cancer is a real burden but is also a preventable disease when early detected. Dr. Liko said, cancer affects everyone one-way or the other. He said, PNG has the highest number of cancer cases in the world, especially mouth cancer. “Cancer is becoming a major health problem in the world and PNG is no exception.” “In fact, it has become a real burden for many families and PNG has very high incidents of cancers reported to be around 28% of all cancers in PNG.” “PNG has the highest cancer cases in the world.” Dr. Liko said that 1500 women die from cancer every year of which most are preventable. “The estimated limit of breast cancer is around 76-per-hundrend thousand women population.” “As the government of today, we are taking proactive actions to address many health issues including cancer.” “I am also pleased to inform this forum that the issues of cancer have again been prioritized in the current National Health Plan 2021-2030 and also in the Government’s Medium Term Development Plan for 2023-2027 that is aimed to reduce incidents of cancer and archive affordable quality health care by 2030 and beyond.” Dr Liko further stated that, if we can prevent and detect cancer earlier, the better we can manage the disease with the resources that is available to us. Meanwhile, President of the Medical Society of PNG Professor Nakapi Tefuarani said, the theme for this year is “Holistic Approach to Cancer”, an important issue in PNG and the Asia Pacific region, and the world at large. He said, “We hope that our guest speakers both from internally and overseas will guide us in our plan to form our resolutions to the government of PNG through the National Department of Health at the end of the symposium.”

The Roosters have confirmed Joseph-Aukuso Suaalli (head knock) and Billy Smith (jaw) won't play against the Storm on Friday night. Suaalli has been ruled out under concussion protocols after failing a head injury assessment against the Sharks while Smith will undergo surgery on a fractured jaw and is set to miss the remainder of the season. Roosters centre Joey Manu (hamstring) will be given until kick-off to prove his fitness after suffering a reoccurring Grade 1 strain in the side's one-point win over the Sharks. In better news, Sam Walker and Brandon Smith have both been cleared of ankle injuries and will be available. Meanwhile, the Knights are set to be without Jackson Hastings for their clash against the Warriors after he aggravated the ankle injury which saw him miss the last three games of the regular season. The halfback broke down late in the first half of the extra time win over the Raiders and was ruled out at the break and took no part in the game. Post-match coach Adam O'Brien said initial signs weren't positive. "It doesn't look great. We tested him at half-time and he wasn't going to be able to contribute to that second half, so that in itself probably isn't a good sign," O'Brien said. Source: NRL.Com

A Kalyn Ponga penalty goal after 89 minutes of drama and chaos at McDonald Jones Stadium has seen the Knights beat the Raiders 30-28 and continue their remarkable late-season charge into Finals Week Two. After extra time was required to separate the two sides, who were tied at 28-28 at the end of normal time, it was a Hudson Young penalty for offside which presented Ponga with the chance to kick his side to a 10th straight victory and confirm a showdown with the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday. It was a finals game without precedent, marred by an allegation of biting made by Tyson Gamble against Jack Wighton, but which will be defined by so much more. In regular time both sides had enjoyed prolonged periods of dominance that appeared to have put them in the box seat to go on and claim victory and qualification to the next stage of the playoffs. The Raiders led 16-6 at the end of an opening half which saw them dominate on the back of 62 percent possession, before the Knights ran up 22 points in 15 minutes to establish a 28-16 lead which they held until the 65th minute. At that point Matt Frawley scored to set up the prospect of a thrilling finish, which became a reality following Tom Starling's try, converted by Jamal Fogarty, with two to go in regulation time that locked scores at 28-28. Tyson Frizell came up with what may have been a game-saving charge down on a field goal attempt with single digits left on the clock to force extra time. The Raiders had all the chances in the first period, which ended in Fogarty driving a low field goal attempt into the approaching Newcastle defence. When given his own chance minutes later, and with halfback Jackson Hastings off the field after succumbing to injury at half-time, Ponga took his chance and made no mistake. Earlier the Knights faced a grim exit in front of a crowd of 29,548. Greg Marzhew had got the scoring going on six minutes, but a James Schiller double, scored either side of a Trey Mooney four-pointer, gave the visitors a 10-point lead at the break which looked to have put them in prime position to advance. Cue the Newcastle revival, which came minutes after Gamble made an official allegation of biting against Wighton, with the latter placed on report and a fire appearing to be lit under the belly of the Newcastle side from that point on. Ponga sparked his side with a try on 48 minutes which was followed by Dom Young and Dane Gagai both crossing within two minutes of each other. A spilled ball then saw Gamble break down field and patiently wait for help to arrive, which unfortunately for Canberra came in the shape of the flying Young, who took it the rest of the way for a try, which after Ponga's fourth conversion of the day, put them up 28-16. Just as the contest appeared set to cross a line from which there would be no coming back for them, the Raiders got one back through Frawley, which was converted to make it a one-score game again. Starling then scored with two to play and the ensuing conversion locked scores again. Source: NRL.com

Eight teams, four weeks, one ultimate prize... countless questions to be answered. Can the Panthers become the first team the Eels in the early 80s to win three straight premierships or can the Broncos claim their first title since 2006? Can the hard charging Knights become the first team to come from outside the top four to win the competition? Or will be revealed through a sizzling September of finals footy and on to Accor Stadium on October 1 for the Telstra Premiership decider where the 2023 champion will be crowned. Each team's Road to Glory 1st. Penrith Panthers Penrith finished as the minor premiers and therefore get two home games in the finals series, starting with the Warriors at BlueBet Stadium on Saturday. If they win, they will have a week off and then move to either Accor Stadium or CommBank Stadium, to play the winner of the Semi Final between the loser of the Broncos/Storm clash and the winner of the Sharks/Roosters game. If the Panthers lose this week, they will play a home game at either Accor Stadium or CommBank Stadium and play the winner of the Knights/Raiders game in an Elimination Final. If they win that, they will then go to either Brisbane or Melbourne to face the winner of the Broncos/Storm game this week. [caption id="attachment_44981" align="aligncenter" width="1224"] Road to Glory: Panthers[/caption] 2nd. Brisbane Broncos Brisbane finished second and are also guaranteed two home finals matches, set to host the Storm on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium. If they win, they will get a week off and play the winner of the Semi Final between the loser of the Panthers/Warriors clash and the winner of the Knights/Raiders game, with the game to be played at Suncorp Stadium. If they lose this week, Brisbane will remain at home to play the winner of the Sharks/Roosters game in an Elimination Final. If they win that, they would travel to either Sydney or New Zealand to face the Panthers or Warriors the following week. [caption id="attachment_44982" align="aligncenter" width="1224"] Road to Glory: Broncos[/caption] 3rd. Melbourne Storm The Storm head to Brisbane this Friday to take on the Broncos. If they win that they will have a week off before playing a home Preliminary Final against the winner of the Semi Final between the loser of the Panthers/Warriors match and the winner of the Knights/Raiders game. Should Melbourne lose this week, they will host the winner of the Sharks/Roosters game at AAMI Park next week in an Elimination Final. If they win that game, they'll travel to either Sydney or New Zealand to take on either the Panthers or Warriors. [caption id="attachment_44983" align="aligncenter" width="1224"] Road to Glory: Storm[/caption] 4th. Warriors The Warriors travel to BlueBet Stadium to play the minor premiers on Saturday. If they defeat Penrith, they will have a week off and host a preliminary final the following week against the winner of the Semi Final between the loser of the Broncos/Storm match and the winner of the Sharks/Roosters game. If they lose to the Panthers, they will still host an elimination final in Auckland against the winner of the Knights/Raiders game. Should they win that game, they will then travel to either Brisbane or Melbourne the following week to play the winner of that respective game from this week. [caption id="attachment_44984" align="aligncenter" width="1224"] Road to Glory: Warriors[/caption] 5th. Newcastle Knights Should the Knights triumph in their Elimination Final against the Raiders in Newcastle this week, they will play the loser of the Panthers/Warriors game in either Sydney or New Zealand. From there, they would go on to play either Brisbane or Melbourne – taking on whoever wins in their game this Friday night. All games for Newcastle are elimination matches so, if they lose, they are out. [caption id="attachment_44985" align="aligncenter" width="1224"] Road to Glory: Knights[/caption] 6th. Cronulla Sharks The Sharks will host an elimination final against the Roosters at PointsBet Stadium on Saturday night. If they win they will take on the loser of the Broncos/Storm encounter in either Brisbane or Melbourne. If they win that game, they’ll play the winner of the Penrith Warriors game in either Sydney or Auckland. All games for Cronulla are elimination matches so, if they lose, they are out. [caption id="attachment_44986" align="aligncenter" width="1224"] Road to Glory: Sharks[/caption] 7th. Sydney Roosters Having finished seventh, the Roosters will play all their finals games away from home – starting with a trip to the Shire on Saturday night to face the Sharks. If they win, they will play the loser of the Broncos/Storm match in either Brisbane or Melbourne. If they win that, then they will face the winner of the Panthers/Warriors game this week in either Sydney or New Zealand. All games for the Roosters are elimination matches so, if they lose, they are out. [caption id="attachment_44987" align="aligncenter" width="1224"] Road to Glory: Roosters[/caption] 8th. Canberra Raiders Canberra will be on the road for the duration of the finals series after finishing eighth. On Sunday, they go to Newcastle to take on the Knights. If they win that game they’ll take on the loser of the Panthers/Warriors game in either Sydney or New Zealand. If they win that they’ll go to either Brisbane or Melbourne to take on the winner of the Broncos/Storm encounter from this Friday. All games for Canberra are knockout so, if they lose, they are out. [caption id="attachment_44988" align="aligncenter" width="1224"] Road to Glory: Raiders[/caption] Source: NRL.com

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 in the red and blue. Ponga spoke after receiving the award on stage from Danny Buderus and Head Coach Adam O'Brien. "I'm extremely honoured to receive this award," Ponga said. "The support of my family, there were some dark days, but I just believed in myself and stuck to what I know. I have a lot of people to thank. "This is such an enjoyable team to be a part of, we backed ourselves and put ourselves in a great spot. "I'm standing up here for an individual award but it's really a team effort. "We're going to enjoy the week and do our best. It's an exciting time of the year." The 2023 Awards Night, held at NEX in Newcastle, also saw a host of other awards winners announced. Tyson Frizell earned the Players' Player Award from his teammates for another consistent campaign in Newcastle. Versatile second-row forward Dylan Lucas was awarded the Rookie of the Year after his debut season which included six appearances in the top grade. After moving to dummy-half this season, Phoenix Crossland was acknowledged for a tremendous 2023 campaign claiming the Gladiator of the Year Award, chosen by the Once a Knight Old Boys. Jacob Saifiti was awarded the Community Player of the Year Award for his incredible work in the broader community and after being nominated for the Ken Stephen Medal. Last season's Rookie of the Year, Leo Thompson took his game to new levels in 2023 and collected the Knight in Shining Armour Award for his try-saver against Manly back in Round 5. Assistant Coach Blake Green was named the Kilpatrick Club Person of the Year. Dane Gagai and Daniel Saifiti also were inducted as Life Members of the Club for their contributions to the red and blue jersey. In the lower grades, Adam Clune claimed the NSW Cup Player of the Year Award while Jack Johns was named Players' Player. Jack Cullen took home the Jersey Flegg Cup Player of the Year Award and Brock Greacen won Players' Player. NRL AWARD WINNERS: Player of the Year (Danny Buderus Medal) – Kalyn Ponga NRL Players' Player - Tyson Frizell Rookie of the Year - Dylan Lucas Community Player of the Year – Jacob Saifiti Knight in Shining Armour - Leo Thompson Gladiator of the Year - Phoenix Crossland NSW Cup Players' Player - Jack Johns NSW Cup Player of the Year - Adam Clune Jersey Flegg Players' Player - Brock Greacen Jersey Flegg Player of the Year - Jack Cullen ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS NRL Debut Players - Dylan Lucas (#340), Ryan Rivett (#341), Tom Cant (#342) and Riley Jones (#345) NRL Milestones - Dane Gagai (250 NRL Games, 150 Knights Games) Daniel Saifiti (150 NRL + Knights Games), Kalyn Ponga (100 NRL + Knights Games), Lachlan Fitzgibbon (100 NRL + Knights Games), Tyson Frizell (50 Knights Games), Phoenix Crossland (50 NRL + Knights Games), Bradman Best (50 NRL + Knights Games), Brodie Jones (50 NRL + Knights Games), Jack Hetherington (50 NRL Games) Departing Players/Staff - Lachlan Miller, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Kurt Mann, Hymel Hunt, Bailey Hodgson, Dane Aukafolau, Adam Clune, Dominic Young, Simi Sasagi and Jack Johns.

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 Dogalau's side will attempt to qualify for the Olympics for the second time, having represented Oceania at the 2016 Summer Games. The Oly Whites were three up within 12 minutes against the shell-shocked Vanuatans, and 6-0 up at half-time. Oscar van Hattum, Jesse Randall and Aaryan Raj all scored two goals apiece. The final at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday is a repeat of the pool stage match between the two sides, when the host nation defeated the Fijians 3-1. Auckland face superstars Oceania champions Auckland City FC will meet local club Al Ittihad at the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia in December. The winner of the first-round encounter will meet African champions Al Ahly. The Saudi Arabian side has bought several superstars recently including Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Fabinho. And it is currently chasing Egyptian great Mo Salah. Auckland City qualified for the Club World Cup in dramatic circumstances at the Oceania Champions League tournament held in Vanuatu in May, beating Fiji's Suva FC in extra time in the final. Source:rnz.com

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 out of school youths both male and female and occupy their idle time that could have been otherwise spent on crime, drinking alcohol, smoking drugs and other illicit activities.” “Most of the participating teams expressed their appreciation to the organizers for hosting the event as it was quite some time when they participated in such sporting program at their level.” Gumaim said a total of 25 Men’s Teams participated in Soccer while 15 Women’s teams competed in Volleyball. He added that there was a good representation of officials from the Provincial Government along with elites from the district. “The Province and District are behind me to ensure we keep our team’s spirit high as we approach game time. We hope to get some good results in the Momase Games.” Gumaim acknowledged the support of Director Sports & Recreation Unit Malcom Limbai, East Sepik Provincial Executive Director Human Resource Emmanuel ToMarum, Director for Climate Change Bradley Pelau, and Coordinator for Referees,Terence Bandi, plus other teams that were on the ground in Wewak. He also thanked local MP and Minister for Forestry Hon. Salio Waipo, District Administrator Martin Anska and Alpha Cash Lending for their support.

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 to facilitate that with PM Marape with the team confirming and formalizing that in the next couple of weeks coming from Jakarta to look at PMGH and what needs to be done and secured; we look forward to that outcome.” Tkatchenko, who is also the Patron of the OOH Foundation, said this organization will become bigger and better in the future. “We have a lot to look forward to, lot of things to do, a lot of money to raise and my role in government as your patron is also help secure that.” “Just like the fundraising we held recently with Daryl Braithwaite and all the efforts there which help raise a lot of needed money for this very worthy cause.” Tkatchenko encouraged the board of members including medical team of doctors and staff that it was not a mistake to be on the board as their dedication, passion and hard work was the basis for their appointments. “For you to be on the board is no mistake, you are there for a reason because of who you are and what you have achieved in your lives and your hard work and efforts; and we acknowledge your expertise in this area which can be a great asset to Operation Open Heart leading it into the future.” “We would like to see double the number of doctors who are working on cardiac and more training overseas and coming back home to give back to the nation the skills and knowledge attained.” “Dr. Boko, a board member is an example of the many testimonies; the work that you all are doing is remarkable.” “Prime Minister Marape and Health Minister Dr. Lino Tom are impressed with what you have achieved so far, they see what you are doing and the great job you are doing for this country.” Tkatchenko further stated, “Let’s continue the good work, never look back, always look forward in making OOH a bigger and better success now and into the future.”