A rag-tag Australian side has outclassed Papua New Guinea 60-10 in the annual Prime Minister’s XIII clash in Port Moresby.
The Australians scored 11 tries and exposed the PNG side’s defensive frailties almost at will in what was the 20th men’s Prime Minister’s XIII match.
It was hardly a conventional game at the National Football Stadium on Saturday, with Australia switching on and off as players became accustomed to their makeshift position.
Ezra Mam spent time at fullback. Jock Madden appeared to be playing on an edge. Jamal Fogarty stood in the centres, and Josh Curran kicked a goal.
At one stage they had three regular hookers on the field.
In one piece of consistency, captain David Fifita started and finished the match as a devastating left centre.
Commentator Cooper Cronk mused it was coach Ben Teo’s way of keeping the Aussies engaged after a long, hard season.
It was at times chaotic and they dropped the ball a lot, but it was fun. Less so for the PNG side, who were not just outclassed but also ill-disciplined, missing 47 tackles — 28 in the first half alone.
With the PNG Chiefs’ arrival in the NRL fast approaching, it is clear the next level of local players are still a long way from that standard.
On a positive note, earlier on Saturday the Junior Kumuls scored a historic first win over the Australian Schoolboys, 18-10.
If Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters hasn’t settled on his squad for this month’s Rugby League World Cup, several players put their hands up.
Regular back-rower Fifita, who showed his class and power in the centres on Saturday, first appeared in the PM’s XIII game seven years ago and looked destined for higher honours that never arrived. Maybe that time is approaching again.
Mam and fellow half Lachlan Galvin showed more than one glimpse of their brilliance, while hulking front-rower Tom Hazelton was one of the best players on the field.
For former NRL and current London Broncos coach Jason Demetriou, who will guide the PNG Kumuls at the World Cup, there was not a lot to love.
Sylvester Namo should be there, while uncapped centre Stanford Talita and fullback Sanny Wabo were dangerous at times and could find their way into Demetriou’s squad.
In the women’s game, Australia was also successful, dishing out a 66-6 thumping of their hosts.
The PNG women’s Prime Minister’s XIII scored a point for the first time in three years, but the Aussies still came out on top in a big way. (AAP: NRL Photos/Anthony Kourembanas)
PNG might have scored for the first time in three years, but Australia was a class above, crossing for 12 tries to one to rack up the biggest winning margin in the fixture’s history.
While the standard of PNG’s second-tier players has improved alongside the growth of the national women’s competition, the Santos Cup, so too has that of the Australians.
Several showed they would not be out of place if called up to coach Jess Skinner’s Jillaroos for this month’s 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
Jada Taylor scored three tries and was almost impossible to handle at times, showing her versatility by playing on the wing, despite playing her club football at fullback.
Half Kasey Reh, centre Tahlia O’Brien, hooker Taneka Todhunter and back-rower Tayla Preston were others who impressed in what was effectively an audition in front of Skinner for a grander stage.
PNG Orchids coach Craig Sandercock, who this year guided Wests Tigers to their first NRLW finals series, would also have enjoyed the opportunity to see the next generation of PNG players.
There was no doubt they were outclassed, and they struggled for time with the ball, having just 37 per cent possession.
However, they had an 85 per cent completion rate and tried hard in defence, before tiring late in each half.
AAP
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