48 netballers, including the current Pepes Squad, went through trials today.
Of the 48, 30 are new or returning players who are vying to make the cut for the national team.
The final listing will be representing Papua New Guinea in April’s, New Zealand Netball World Championship Qualifiers.
After ending 2017 on a high note last year at the 10th Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu, winning gold, the stakes are now higher for the PNG Pepes.
Despite not qualifying for the Commonwealth Games, they have gained entry to the World Qualifiers in New Zealand.
And with the absence of their dynamic Captain Lua Rikis due to retirement, the netballers at trial today have bigger shoes to fill.
“The qualifiers in New Zealand will be a much tougher competition for the national team that is why the trials and the selection process will follow a very strict criteria”, said Netball Federation President Julienne Leka-Maliaki.
Speaking of the technical aspects, Pepes Head Coach Christina Carswell said vision is a key improvement areas for most of these aspiring players.
The announcement of the successful 20 – 25 will be made in the coming days, and they will undergo atleast another 2 months of training before new additions to the Pepes will joi the current squad for New Zealand.
This will be done in affiliation with the PNG High Performance Centre.
The Trials continue tomorrow Sunday, 21st January as well.
