Kumuls players received a greater appreciation of what the team means to Papua New Guinea as they connected with their culture and each other by learning to cook traditional dishes.
Under the guidance of a group of “mums” and “aunties”, the Kumuls squad visited Gordon’s Market – one of the largest produce markets in Port Moresby – to buy the ingredients for their dishes and were swamped by fans.
After purchasing what they needed, players had to find their way through a large crowd that had gathered by the team bus, chanting their names and wanting to touch them or take selfies on their phones.
There were similar scenes at Jacksons International Airport on Sunday night when the players arrived ahead of Saturday’s Pacific Championships match against Cook Islands and were swarmed by fans as they exited the arrivals terminal.
“It was good to see all the fans turning out and calling all the boys names. The people here love rugby league,” star hooker Edwin Ipape said.
“When you play for the Kumuls you represent the country and if you lose you cop some criticism, if you win you get all the praise, but it’s all from the passion and love for the game. They just want to see Kumuls and rugby league do well in the country.”
Rookie fullback Morea Morea said: “This fan base in Papua New Guinea, they really love rugby league, they love their team and they are proud of the team. Wherever the boys go it is always going to be a crazy experience.”
Split into three teams named in honour of Marcus Bai, Adrian Lam and Bruce Mamando – stars of PNG’s 2000 World Cup side, which was the first to win a match on foreign soil – the players were given a shopping list for the market.
The coaching staff, led by Jason Demetriou, were in Team Bennett, named after the 2000 Kumuls coach Bob Bennett, the brother of Wayne.
It was estimated that it would take about 20 minutes to buy the ingredients before going to Port Moresby Nature Park to prepare and cook the traditional meals – Aigir, Marita and Saksak in a fire pit.
However, it took the players longer just to get back to the bus.
“Once a couple of people knew we were in there, we just got absolutely stormed,” Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston said.
“It was unreal, everyone started swarming and the chants, the cheering – everyone wants to touch you, everyone wants a photo – it’s an awesome experience and I absolutely loved it.”
Hull KR premiership winning forward Rhyse Martin flew from England to join the Kumuls camp, along with Ipape and Leigh team-mate Lachlan Lam.
“It is special because you see how much love the players get and how much it means to them to see the boys out in the community doing everyday things that people do here,” Martin said.
“When we came back to the bus it was just chaos, there were hundreds or thousands of people there, so the boys also got to realise how much people love it and the passion for the game.”
The purpose of the cooking session was to give the players a deeper understanding of PNG culture and a greater connection with each other.
Some, like Ipape and Morea, were born and raised in Papua New Guinea, whereas others such as Johnston, Lam and teenage sensation Cooper Bai have PNG heritage through their parents or grandparents.
“I have had all the food before but actually learning how to prepare it and put it all together, I feel like I got a lot out of it,” Johnston said.
“I know that all of our boys, especially the ones from Australia, are soaking up this experience. We aren’t just learning to cook, we are getting to know our culture a bit more, and it has bought us closer together, especially us and the local boys.”
For more than three hours, the players worked together to make coconut milk, cutting the marita – a red Pandanus fruit with an extremely tough outer skin – and mashing bananas into a paste to combine with sago for the saksak.
“You appreciate the food because of all the effort,” Martin said. “We were making the Aigir and there are six or seven of the boys all working together.
“Some of the boys are splitting the leaves, and some boys are cracking the coconuts and grinding the coconut and cracking the coconuts, then you have got to squeeze all the coconut jucies out and make the coconut milk.
“Other boys are cutting the onions and peeling the bananas or cutting the chicken so there is a lot of preparation, but the food just tastes amazing.”
For Ipape, who grew up in Mt Hagen, the experience was a reminder of PNG village life and he said it would bring the Kumuls closer together in their quest to win a third consecutive Pacific Bowl and for next year’s World Cup.
Kumuls hooker Edwin Ipape at Gordon’s Market in Port Moresby.
©Larie Robinson/NRL Photos
“This is culture, this is connection,” Ipape said. “Food connects people, food brings families together and every time there is something we need to celebrate we come together and cook and share food.
“All of the local boys, we all grew up in this. We had to play a part in preparing our dinner; for some it was collecting firewood or fetching water while your mum and sisters are cooking, or some guys would be doing cooking as well.
“We all had different roles, and it is good to be involved in a team environment while experiencing the daily activities of how Papua New Guineans grew up.
“You see the boys sweating here, like AJ and our international brothers, but when you have the food, you experience the hard work and the love in the food. You are not just eating something you get in the air fryer.
“A lot of effort goes in and you can see that in our team everyone has played a part and contributed. I think it will bring us together in the next couple of days and I hope it helps on the field too.”