Through the Hoops for Health program, the Basketball Federation of Papua New Guinea recently announced a new partnership with the PNG Lasallian Family. The partnership hopes to create a safe place to develop a more resilient and informed educators to deliver quality education in Papua New Guinea. The Lasallian Family is a non-profit affiliate of the teachers of the De La Salle Brothers St. John Baptiste de La Salle. National Coordinator PNG Lasallian Family, Grace Rakia is grateful and looks forward to working with the Basketball Federation of PNG on the Hoops for Health Program. “As a faith-based organization, we support and encourage a holistic approach that supports and encourages teachers to teach children." "Rather than focusing solely on passing exams or making them smart, we focus on helping them grow into diverse, happy, and constructive members of society.” The Hoops for Health's Women's Engagement Program aims to achieve the dual goals of combating gender-based violence and anti-social behaviour while promoting healthy active lifestyle. BFPNG President, Emma Waiwai thanked the Lasallian family of PNG for their consideration to partner for program implementation. "This breaks the silence of negative social and cultural norms that exclude women and girls from participation," President Waiwai said. “The program does not separate men and women; it unites them for a better community and PNG.” BFPNG Hoops for Health Program is made possible with the support of FIBA , the Australian Government's Sports for Development Program and Team Up.

After only purchasing 3 cans of Pepsi and entering the Pepsi Win a Ford Ranger competition, Mr Benjamin Petrus and family finally drove away with his dream car. Benjamin is currently working in Hela but resides in the Nation’s Capital, comes from Hela and is 35 years old. Benjamin expressed so much excitement after receiving the keys from Pepsi, he straight away handed over the spare keys to his father to use the vehicle when out of town working in Hela. After selling his car a year back, Benjamin says, the new Pepsi Ford Ranger will greatly help his family move around the city and calling it a family car. He said, after seeing the promotion, he bought 3 cans of Pepsi at Stop & Shop and went into the draw to be the lucky chosen one. “All I can say is that it’s a blessing.” After being notified by Pepsi, Benjamin flew in from Hela over the weekend to claim his grand prize and will be flying back to Hela tomorrow for work. “Mi stap lo wok taim mi bin kisim phone call na mi still hard lo bilivim. Mi holim key na now mi save trutru mi winim displa car.” (I was at work when I got the phone call and I couldn’t believe it. Now that I’m holding the key, I know that I won the car). “It was always my dream to own a Wild Track and Ford Ranger vehicle.” “So now that Pacific Industries has made it possible for me to own that, a big thanks to them and for running the competition.” Benjamin added that the competition was very transparent and fair. He’s very thankful for such promotions that give ordinary Papua New Guineans a chance to win double figure prizes that can change their lives.

A good start to Term 3 for St Peters Channel Primary School Monday morning with a full house for all teachers and students. Head Teacher Mrs Martha Kaisapi said, they first started of their day with an all school assembly for students and teacher's refreshers for at least an hour before heading to class. Mrs Kaisapi expressed excited to see such a good turnout because this was not usually the case. “This shows and proves that students are eager to learn and want to be at school.” She said, this term will have 11 teaching weeks and they are looking forward to this term. Apart from the schools main focus to prepare its students for the Grade National examinations which will be held on the 23rd-26th October, they are look forward to host the National Book Week on the 7th-11th August, school independence celebrations and other activities lined up. “Our main focus for this term is the grade 8 students." "We have prepared special lessons for them and help them improve on some areas before examination week." “Other focus areas are the teacher’s retreat that will be on the 31st August and the Teachers Walkathon to be held in week 3 to raise funds for the school.” She added that, by the second or third week, the school expected to receive the third quarter of the Government Tuition Fee Subsidy (GTFS).

Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans has backed his team’s rejigged spine to get the job done as the Maroons aim to claim their first clean sweep since 2010. Harry Grant – who has started at hooker previously once before in Game One, 2021 – is set to start for Wednesday night’s match, with Ben Hunt coming off the bench, while AJ Brimson comes in at fullback for the suspended Reece Walsh. Cherry-Evans said the plan behind starting Grant to start was a look to the future to give him more experience. “We know how crafty he is,” Cherry-Evans said of Grant. “He's a fantastic player and you could probably argue his best days are in front of him, which is crazy to think." “I really enjoy playing footy alongside Harry, he thinks a lot about his footy and he's really good at bringing other people into the game, so I'm looking forward to the opportunity that he's got on Wednesday night." “We feel as though we've started the game well both games, so it's not as if we're disappointed with what Ben's done, Ben's done a fantastic job." “Make no mistake, it’s not about a demotion for Ben Hunt, this is about just giving Harry an opportunity to start." "He has started one game before... so, this is probably just our coach thinking ahead for the nine for the future." "Harry is really well thought out, he's thinking about what he's doing. He works on his footy. He spends time on it, watching video talking about it with us." Brimson's return to the number one jersey also brings with it an exciting combination of new strengths for the Maroons, after Walsh's fantastic contributions in Origin I and II. “We spend a lot of time together in camp." "A focus of how we play our footy is laying a foundation but then connecting as a spine, so we think about our footy affair bit,” said Cherry-Evans, who is set to go past Allan Langer with an Origin record of 14 games in a row in the number seven jersey for Queensland. “We talk about our footy a fair bit and with Harry starting, I guess it's just going to give it a different look to start the game." "But make no mistake, we're just trying to improve on what we've already been doing, which is good, but not elite just yet." “We've got a style of footy as a side that we really want to make sure we keep building on, but we're not just going to put AJ in and expect AJ to do Reece's job." “We're chatting about how to bring AJ into the game and what's best for him; what's his best footy look like?" "It is a bit different to Reece's, but it’s really important that we connect as a spine on Wednesday night and bring AJ into the game with his best strengths.” The skipper also said Brimson, and forward Pat Carrigan, had prepared well during the camp, despite it being an emotional week with members of the Maroons squad – joining the duo to support the Hampo Cup match on Sunday in tribute to their good friend Liam Hampson who passed away last year. “Yesterday would have been a tough day for him, I can't imagine what they went through at the time, let alone now when the emotions are rehashed, but it is in memory of what was believed to be a really good man and a friend to a lot of people,” Cherry-Evans said. “Those things are to commemorate, and I hope the boys just understand how lucky they are to be playing in someone's honour and I'm sure they're doing that." Motivation remained high throughout all the players in the Queensland squad despite already wrapping up the series, with the chance to claim a rare clean sweep a key factor to perform and establish this side among the greatest Maroons outfits. “We're aware of how little it's happened and that just shows how hard it is to do,” Cherry-Evans said. “You think of the greatest Queensland team that ever played and they did it once – so it's hard to do." “We know the challenge that's in front of us, but I can guarantee you, this group is excited about it." "We're not daunted by it." Source: NRL.com

Another milestone achieved for rugby league development in Papua New Guinea (PNG) with the soon to be opened first- ever Academy for Elite Junior Players. The most talented 14 to 16 year-old players in the country will now receive the best possible coaching, mentoring and off-field support as part of PNG’s bid to become the next NRL club. The program will be launched in Port Moresby on Monday 17 July, with a view towards becoming a national program in the coming years, with 74 players initially identified from over 60 schools in Port Moresby. All players will receive specialist coaching, with the focus being on enhancing players’ technical skills and decision-making abilities. In addition, all players will be physically tested and given programs that will align them with those of the same age group that are currently in the NRL Club system. With coaching and guidance crucial at this stage of a player’s development, the Academy will provide a vital step towards an elite player pathway model that will educate young PNG players about all aspects required to become an NRL player, both on and off the field. It will also provide another important building block in the overall structure of rugby league in the country. Andrew Hill, PNG NRL Bid CEO, saw the Academy as another major step in the development of rugby league in PNG: “Launching an Academy for our best 14 to 16 year-old’s, is a major step forward when it comes to creating an elite player pathway for the game in PNG,” he said. “Having visited a number of NRL clubs over the past few months, I’m confident that the program we have created will provide talented young players the opportunity to be successful and on par with NRL Clubs in Australia. “Having witnessed the success in recent seasons at the Parramatta Eels with Joey Grima leading the academy programs, I know our players in PNG will be given the right environment for success. The Parramatta Eels won the U/19 competition this year and many players had been in that system for several years.” “We are looking to create a structure that can identify and develop the next Justin Orlam, Edwin Ipape or Elsie Albert, and take them on a journey to playing in the NRL.” “I would like to thank the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Sport, Don Polye, for assisting this project and helping us take our elite player pathway model to another level. The NRL Bid is looking forward to helping with the Government’s Go Rural Go Global strategy over the next few years.”

A penalty goal in golden point to Jamayne Isaako has helped the Dolphins secure their eighth win of the season following a 23-21 victory over the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday. Titans forward Erin Clark was ruled offside in attempting to charge down Isaako's field goal attempt in the 85th minute with referee Grant Atkins not hesitating to give the Dolphins a penalty from in front of the posts to break the deadlock. It was somewhat of an anti-climactic finish to the match after both sides couldn't be separated for 80 minutes after field goals to Isaako and Tanah Boyd in regular time set up a 21-21 scoreline. Isaako appeared to have won the game for his side with a 75th minute field goal before Boyd stepped up to sink his own one-pointer three minutes later and send the game into golden point. Adding to the drama, Sean O'Sullivan lost the ball over the line in a try-saving play from Sam Verrills and Jayden Campbell that would've won the game for the Dolphins in regular time. Campbell was enormous for the Titans in a beaten side, setting a new record for the club for most metres run in a match with 305 as well as coming up with two big defensive plays to deny the Dolphins during the match. Less than three months after the Dolphins rallied from a 26-point deficit to beat the Titans in Round 8, Wayne Bennett's side were back causing their Queensland rivals a headache in front of 18,335 on the Gold Coast. The Titans led 14-6 early with Kieran Foran instrumental in the first half before a Jarrod Wallace try in the 48th minute sparked a 15-minute Dolphins onslaught that included Kenny Bromwich and Isaako both crossing on the right edge. A try to Brian Kelly on the left edge got the Titans back level with the Dolphins to set up the grandstand finish. Earlier, the visitors crossed first through Connelly Lemuelu after a short pass from O'Sullivan close to the line setting up a 6-0 lead. Foran returned serve to produce a masterclass in cut-out passes and set up his own try via an Alofiana Khan-Periera kick before sending Phil Sami over from a scrum four minutes later. Titans debutant Jacob Alick appeared to have had a memorable first touch in the NRL when placing a kick in for Khan-Periera to go over but the try was pulled back due to Isaako being impeded in the lead-up. A penalty goal through Boyd allowed the Titans to skip ahead by eight but that evaporated when Wallace - who bombed a try only a minute earlier - was able to cross when he linked with Isaiya Katoa. The final 20 minutes of the match was at its see-sawing best before an unnecessary pass from Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui put Jaimin Jolliffe - who couldn't hold the ball - under pressure and enabled the Dolphins to get within striking range in extra time. Source: NRL.Com

Mid-week signing Toby Sexton made an instant impact for his new club on Saturday night, helping the Bulldogs survive a late scare from the Rabbitohs to record a 36-32 win. After joining from the Titans on Tuesday, Sexton sparked a Bulldogs attack which in the 16 games prior had averaged just 15.8 points scored per game, making two line breaks and running for 123 metres, in addition to saving a likely try with a desperate kick retrieval in the final minute. Perhaps more importantly though, his presence and direct style of play appeared to free up star half Matt Burton, who in turn enjoyed arguably his best game of the year. In just the fourth game of his career, winger Blake Wilson scored a hat-trick, while Jake Averillo starred at fullback, with two try assists and three line-break assists. The Bulldogs rallied to pick up their sixth win of the year despite the efforts of Rabbitohs fullback Blake Taaffe who was excellent at Accor Stadium, scoring a pair of tries, breaking seven tackles and almost single-handedly dragging his team back into the contest. After establishing a 36-22 lead with 10 minutes to go, the Dogs appeared to be home safe before South Sydney scored twice in two minutes to get within a try at the death. It was a fitting end to a game which was frantic from the start. Thomas Burgess and Wilson scored converted tries inside the first eight minutes before there was a long break in play while Ryan Sutton was taken from the field on a medicab, following a shoulder charge which saw Taane Milne sent to the sin bin and placed on report. Sutton was later sent to hospital for scans on his neck. When play resumed it was the Dogs who took control, with Tevita Pangai Junior charging down a kick to secure field position for Wilson's second, before skipper Reed Mahoney grabbed his side's third two minutes later to give the Dogs a 18-6 lead. Tyrone Munro then scored his second try in as many career games, before Jacob Kiraz struck back to re-establish a 12-point advantage which the Bulldogs took to the break. South Sydney protected their line brilliantly through the opening exchanges of the second half as the Bulldogs peppered their line, but eventually the pressure told and Ethan Quai-Ward marked his NRL debut with a try in the corner. Taaffe burned the Dogs' edge defence minutes later to bring his side back within two scores, but it was somewhat undone when Richard Kennar was pinged for being offside following a scrum and Burton kicked a penalty with 15 to play. Wilson's third 10 minutes from time looked to have sealed the result, before the Rabbitohs ran in quickfire tries to Munro and Tallis Duncan which set up a thrilling final two minutes. Earlier in the match a member of the crowd was removed from the stadium after Burton had a laser pointed at his face while attempting a conversion.

"In this day and age, family planning is the way forward to control many health and socio-economic issues." That's from the Gordons Clinic Family Planning Nursing Officer Sister (Sr) Edna Ratu. She said, "It’s good for couples to plan their pregnancies because in today’s time, couples who tend to have a lot of children are not as financially secured as planned pregnancies spaced two or more year’s apart result in healthier babies and fewer medical problems for the woman." “Unlike other family planning methods, the family planning injection known as Depo Provera is commonly taken at the Gordons Clinic.” Sr Ratu added that she has attended to 131 females aged 20 years and older from the month of June. “It is very important because it is the way forward to not only control population growth but to also control health issues.” “People wonder why we are having a lot of TB and HIV/AIDs cases as well, and it’s all because people are not really seeing the importance of family planning." "For example TB, if we have control of family planning than we don’t have overcrowded homes for the germs to spread quickly.” She stressed that this is also one factor why having a healthy small family is better than having a unhealthy large family. “The most important thing is to control family planning." "Both partners must agree before having more kids because everything comes at a cost." "Some of the challenges that mothers face when they don’t use contraceptives can also lead to causes of cancer because there having a lot of children, loss of blood, high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, infections, miscarriage and stillbirth." Sr Ratu is now calling on the government to further support more family planning. "So much money and resources is put into TB, HIV/AIDs, and COVID when it should be pumped in Family Planning as it is the most important factor that can help control everything."

NSW players have been urged to approach Origin III like a grand final as they set out to spoil Queensland’s celebrations when they receive the Shield at Wednesday night's post-match presentation. The Blues may have lost the series, but coach Brad Fittler insists his players will not lack for motivation to stop a 3-0 clean-sweep by the Maroons as they still have the honour of representing NSW before their home fans at Accor Stadium. “Not everyone gets to do that,” Fittler said. “I think we are up to 310 players in the history of State of Origin, so we're talking about a real limited amount of people that actually get to play for New South Wales. “There is an Origin series, and we don’t have a chance to win that, but they have a chance to play for NSW in front of a home crowd and they need a good game.” Debutants Bradman Best and Keaon Koloamatangi will become the 309th and 310th players to pull on a Blues jersey at Origin level and Fittler said it will be a big occasion for the pair. Of the 308 players to have previously represented NSW in Origin since 1980, 84 managed just one appearance. “Call it what you like, but 310 people have done that - and that’s not many,” Fittler said. The Blues squad, which includes seven new faces, watched footage from the 32-6 defeat in Origin II at Suncorp Stadium on June 21 as Fittler and his coaching staff outlined areas they needed to improve. However, Fittler and NSW team advisor Greg Alexander said the Blues were approaching Origin III as a stand-alone fixture and were determined to prevent Queensland achieving the first series whitewash since 2010. “Origin is different,” Alexander said. “It’s not a club game where your team has won four games, it is the backend of the season and you are no chance of making the finals series. It is completely different. “Origin is three grand finals and it doesn’t matter whether it is a decider or Game I, it’s important because it’s another grand final." “We can’t win the series, but we can atone for what’s happened. It’s as important as what Game I was or Game II – and it’s at home.” Asked if the Blues wanted to ensure the Maroons were presented with the Origin Shield after a loss, Alexander said: "Why not". After scoring three tries in their series opening 26-18 loss at Adelaide Oval and just one in Origin II at Suncorp Stadium, Alexander said the Blues coaching staff had identified areas of the game the team needed to significantly improve. “We had a quick review of Game II and there were some aspects that I think none of us were really happy with what happened,” Alexander said. “It was just highlighting a few areas that we thought we could improve drastically in Game III. They were just little things bit lots of little things add up to a big thing and generally that can add up to a win." The Blues trained on Friday behind closed doors as media were kicked out and the fence around the NSWRL Centre of Excellence was wrapped in black matting, but officials insisted the measure had nothing to do with fears of spying. A number of teams in the FIFA Women’s World Cup are set to use the venue for training from next week and it is a requirement of the tournament that they are able to conduct their sessions in private. The NSW team will also use the field for their pre-match warm-up before entering Accor Stadium next Wednesday night via a tunnel under the road that was constructed for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Source: NRL.com

The much anticipated Pepsi Win a Ford Ranger competition has been drawn and announced its first lucky winner from the Southern Region draws with Mr Benjamin Petrus being announced the lucky winner. The draw winner was conducted by Dadi Toka Jnr as the prominent third-party figure of the community to ensure fairness and transparency. Mr Petrus only purchased 3 cans of Pepsi and was announced as the lucky winner after his name was drawn from a draw barrel containing all the eligible entries from the respective region. The 3 month long competition which began on the 1st of April and concluded on the 30th of June attracted participants from all corners of the country. Participants were only required to purchase 2 cans of Pepsi in order to enter the completion. Director at Pacific Industries Ltd Everett Chue thanked all his hard working staff for running a successful and exciting promotion that caught the attention of millions of Papua New Guineans nationwide. He said, this promotion is one way of giving back to Pepsi customers. “I think more than these amazing prizes, this promotion is about giving back to our loyal customers and thanking them for continuing to support and enjoy this amazing product of Pepsi.” “I think there's a lot of people across the nation that could really make use of a car like this." "Whether it is being able to take your children to school, getting to work on time instead of catching the bus and much more." "I hope all the winners will make good use of these cars and share the benefits with their friends and families.” Meanwhile, the National Trade Activation Manager at Pacific Industries Ltd Christine Miria added that in the coming days the 3 remaining draws will be drawn in Lae at the Rauma Super Market on the 10th July for the Momase region, Mouth Hagen at the Queens Park Oval on the 11th of July for the Highlands region and lastly, the New Guinea Islands draw will be at K-Central in Kokopo on the 12th of July.

Jacob Alick is set to make his debut as Titan #186 in this Sunday's history-making clash against the Dolphins at Cbus Super Stadium. In the Gold Coast's first-ever home contest against the NRL's newest franchise, the Papua New Guinea International has been named on the bench - one of four changes made by interim coach Jim Lenihan to replace the Maroons quartet who are on Origin duty this weekend. Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui replaces his older brother Tino in the front row alongside Jaimin Jolliffe who will also start in place of Moeaki Fotuaika; meanwhile, a well-rested Klese Haas comes straight back in to fill David Fifita's spot on the edge. Jayden Campbell will wear the No. 1 jersey with AJ Brimson earning a Queensland recall, opening the door for Jojo Fifita to remain in the 17 after an eleventh-hour call-up to play on the wing last Saturday, although Phil Sami is expecting to overcome last week's hamstring tightness that ruled him out in the warm-up against the Raiders and is expecting to start on the wing this weekend. With both Fa'asuamaleaui and Brimson missing this weekend, Kieran Foran will assume captaincy duties for the Sunday afternoon showdown - the last of three big games commencing from 1.15pm. Source: Titans.com.au

Playmakers Blayke Brailey and Nicho Hynes controlled proceedings and Sione Katoa bagged a hat-trick as the Sharks downed Wests Tigers 36-12 at CommBank Stadium on Thursday night. The Sharks have now won 10 of their past 11 clashes against the Tigers and consolidate their place in the toRugby League, four with eight games remaining. After mounting plenty of pressure early the Sharks went up 2-0 when Hynes slotted a penalty goal after David Klemmer was pinged for a high tackle. The Sharks then grabbed their opening try in the 16th minute when Katoa bounced over the line in the right corner to make it 6-0. A spilled bomb by Tigers winger Asu Kepaoa midway through the half handed the Sharks the opportunity to grab a second and it was Siosifa Talakai who powered over from close range to make it 12-0 with Hynes' conversion. Having gone 166 minutes since their last try, the Tigers broke the drought in the 28th minute when a Will Smith cut-out pass found Tommy Talau who crossed for his first four-pointer of the season. Hynes got across the line in the 32nd minute when the Tigers dropped another bomb but Jesse Ramien was penalised for pushing a defender in the lead-up and the try was disallowed. A one-on-one strip by Talau on Ramien in the 38th minute gave the Tigers field position and when Shawn Blore crossed off a superb short ball by Alex Seyfarth the scores were level at the break. The Sharks regained the lead in the 45th minute when Katoa crossed for his second of the night before the Tigers were able to earn a repeat set on the back of a clever grubber by Brandon Wakeham but they were unable to turn the opportunity into points. Another pinpoint kick by Wakeham looked to have set up Talau's second try but the bunker ruled the Tigers centre had lost control of the ball into a Sharks defender as he made the catch. The Sharks marched down field and Ramien bagged his second from a Hynes bomb and the score was out to 22-12. When Talakai powered over for his second try of the night in the 68th minute the Sharks had done enough to rack up their 10th win of the season. A long run by Brailey out of dummy half in the 73rd minute set up Hynes for a try and the Sharks led 32-12 before Katoa completed his hat-trick with a spectacular dive into the corner. The Tigers showed plenty of heart to bounce back from last week's horror show in Townsville but in the end it was a 13th loss of 2023 and they remain last on the ladder. Source: NRL.Com