Canberra Raiders and former Maroons enforcer Neville Costigan headlines a battle-hardened Papua New Guinea squad announced by coach Adrian Lam today.
Lam put his team announcement on hold to travel to PNG last week to view a fiery inter-squad trial match between non-resident and resident Papua New Guinea players.
The result sees a Papua New Guinea team boasting NRL players Costigan, Paul Aiton, Keith Peters (Penrith Panthers), and young guns Jay Aston (Melbourne Storm) and David Moore (Gold Coast Titans).
Anchoring the squad are veterans Stanley Gene (Hull KR), Rod Griffin (Northern Pride) and skipper John Wilshere (Salford City Reds), with Gene and Griffin both starring in the PNG Prime Minister’s XIII solid performance against Australia late last month.
Ten nations will compete in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup featuring 18 matches at 12 venues in QLD, NSW, VIC and ACT over 29 days from October 25 to November 22 with the Final at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
England and Papua New Guinea will feature in the first match of the Tournament in Townsville on October 25, with the official opening ceremony to be staged at the Sydney Football Stadium on October 26. The opening ceremony will see Australia open its campaign against New Zealand and will also feature an Australian Indigenous team against the New Zealand Maoris.
The French team was the first to arrive in Australia, basing themselves at the Sunshine Coast QLD from yesterday. Ireland and England arrive tomorrow; with PNG and Scotland landing in Australia on Thursday. The Australians will go into camp this Saturday.
Team changes can be made up to the first day of competition for medical reasons, which must be cleared by the Tournament Medical Officer, Dr Ron Muratore.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
|
SURNAME |
GIVEN NAMES |
CLUB |
Â
COACHÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Adrian Lam
GO!GO! THE PNG KUMULS FOR 2008
Go kumuls do your best even though u were put in pool of death
GO KUMULS!
Prove to them we are not what they think.