Australian coach Kevin Walters revealed the decision to call up Mitchell Moses for Sunday’s Prime Minister’s XIII match was out of respect for the growing strength of Papua New Guinea.
Moses is one of four members of the Kangaroos squad for the upcoming Ashes series who will play in the annual PM’s XIII match at Santos National Stadium, along with Keaon Koloamatangi, Bradman Best and Ethan Strange.
The Australian men’s, women’s and schoolboy and schoolgirl teams arrived in Port Moresby on Friday afternoon to a heroes’ reception from local fans, but Walters knows that they will be the villains against an emerging opposition on Sunday.
“We explained to some of the players about the passion that the that Papua New Guinean people show for the number one sport in this country,” Walters said.
Keaon Koloamatangi will captain the PM’s XIII team ahead of his anticipated Kangaroos debut in the Ashes series.
©Anthony Kourembanas/NRL Photos
“The energy levels were very high at the airport, which we expected, and we expect that in the whole time that we’re here, particularly the game on Sunday.
“You can go all the way around the world and play at different stadiums, but if you haven’t played here and experienced the atmosphere of Port Moresby and rugby league, well you’re not really living.”
Walters visited Papua New Guinea twice as a player, with the Kangaroos in a five-match tour in 1991 and for a pre-season game with the Broncos against the Panthers during the 1997 Super League season.
He said the game in PNG had gone from strength to strength since then and had no hesitation in calling up Moses when Schneider succumbed to a calf injury or selecting other members of the Ashes squad for the PM’s XIII fixture.
“It’s purely out of respect of our opposition,” Walters said.
“We understand that the Kumuls are progressing very quickly in the international rugby league calendar, and we’re very respectful of their ability, so we need to bring a strong team here to perform well.
“With the Ashes tour as well, it’s a good opportunity for some of our players that haven’t played some footy for a while because there’s nothing like game fitness and the physicality of the game to get our players ready for the Ashes.”
The Kumuls have won the Pacific Bowl in 2023 and 2024, and with the announcement that a PNG team will join the NRL in 2028 the pathway programs are producing more players for coach Jason Demetriou to consider.
Nene Macdonald will captain the PNG PM’s XIII team, which features a combination of NRL stars like Jack De Belin, Robert Derby and Jacob Alick-Wienke with exciting young talent such as Gairo Voro, Morea Morea, Sanny Wabo and Finley Glare.
Rising star Gairo Voro will play in the halves for the PNG PM’s XIII.
©Scott Davis /NRL Photos
Wabo, who played fullback, was runner up in voting for the Petero Civoniceva Medal as Queensland Cup player of the year, while Varo – a promising playmaker – won the PNG Hunters Rookie of the Year award.
“There’s probably a group of spine players that will all play together at some point on Sunday who are all 24 and under, which is exciting for the future of the Kumuls. I watch them and I get really excited about their potential,” Demetriou said.
“It’s also exciting leading into a World Cup year and this is a great opportunity for us to get a real understanding of where we’re at as a nation, but also to prepare players for what’s going to be an exciting World Cup in 2026.”
Titans forward Cooper Bai, Knights rookie Jacob Taulani and Townsville Blackhawks winger Dudley Dotoi – the leading tryscorer in the Queensland Cup – will have their chance to push for selection in the Pacific Championships.
Demetriou said Phillip Coates, the younger brother of Xavier, would have also played in the PM’s XIII match with a view to selection for the Pacific Championships if he was not injured.
“There’s guys like Jacob and Guiro and Morea, who we saw what he did last year in the few minutes that he played in the Pac Champs, so this year I’ve really noticed the difference in having to select the team,” Demetriou said.
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“Jacob’s come through the Jersey Flegg NSW Cup system in Australia, I’ve been tracking him all year.
“He’s a powerful edge player who can play centre or back row, and his mother is from PNG, she was born in Lae, so he’s got a strong connection to country.
“His brother also plays in the Junior Kumuls, so it’s great to get them over here and again it’s a chance for us to get some more exposure to some potential players that that can play in the World Cup next year.”
Knights rookie Jacob Taulani is the latest PNG talent to catch the eye of Kumuls coach Jason Demetriou.
©Gregg Porteous/NRL Photos
South Sydney’s Alex Johnston, who needs just two tries to become the greatest tryscorer in premiership history, Leigh halfback Lachlan Lam and hooker Edwin Ipape are among the stars who will join the team for the Pacific Championships.
Cowboys centre Zac Laybutt and Hull KR second-rower Rhyse Martin, who is playing in this weekend’s Super League grand final, are others set to play against Fiji and Cook Islands.
Rugby League fans across the Pacific are set to be able to watch the Prime Minister’s XIII Women’s and Men’s matches on free to air television, through the PacificAus TV initiative and the NRL’s broadcast partners.
PacificAus TV is an initiative of the Australian Government and is managed by Free TV Australia, and has played an important role in delivering high-quality content that resonates with Pacific audiences since 2020.
The PM’s XIII matches are being transmitted on 17 Pacific broadcast partners – across 11 countries and seven time zones, via:
EMTV and NBC (Papua New Guinea) & Digicel.
Fiji TV, FBC and Mai TV (Fiji)
SBC TV1, EFKS TV2 and Apia TV3 (Samoa)
CITV and Vaka TV (Cook Islands)
TTV (Solomon Islands)
VBTC (Vanuatu)
Kiri One (Kiribati)
NTV (Nauru)
TVBC (Tuvalu)
TBC (Tonga)
BCN (Niue)