PMs XIII changes AN additional two players have been added to the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister’s XIII squad for the match against the Australian PM’s XIII in Kokopo next month. Kato Ottio and Henry Wan have been brought in to replace Wellington Albert and Luke Page who are unavailable for the PM’s XIII match and the Tonga test. Albert, who had surgery on a shoulder injury midway through this season was hopeful of being cleared to play, however after consulting with his specialist on Tuesday he was officially ruled out. He is undergoing rehabilitation and his shoulder is not yet fully recovered in time to play in both matches, much to his disappointment. Page has had considerable pressure placed on him by his NRL club, the Canberra Raiders, to be in full training for the offseason in preparation for his first year with the Raiders in next year’s competition and while wanting to play, has had to reconsider after discussions with his NRL club. Ottio, a 20-year-old, 193cm, 110kg centre, who was a standout at the recent National Zone Championships and prop Henry Wan from the Lae Tigers have been given their chance by selectors. Both will join the squad in camp in Kokopo immediately. Kato and Henry will still play in the All Stars curtain raiser if not in the run on side for the PM’s XIII, however they will most likely be rested in the second half and sit on the bench for the main game so we can give them a look at that level. “This may apply to any other players who stand out in the All Stars.” Coach Mal Meninga said while disappointing for Albert and Page it now opened the door for two other young players to come into camp. “We named a larger squad than normal in case we had any situations such as this or any injuries leading up to the PM’s XIII match,” Meninga said. “It’s unfortunate Luke is unable to play and when it’s not a World Cup year NRL clubs do place a lot of pressure, particularly on their fringe or young players to rest in the off season and not risk injury.” Source: The National, Friday 26th of September, 2014 Pic Lae Snax Tigers FB and search engine.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 01:31:59 +0000
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