After the conclusion of the National Junior Netball Championships in Port Moresby, PNG Pepes coach Una Rokoura has stated that there is a lot of young, raw talent in Papua New Guinea.
The U21 selections were part of preparations for the World Cup qualifiers to be held in 2017.
The Pepes mentor has been given the opportunity to oversee the preparations as a high performance assistant, and has said that the program will benefit the PNG senior team immensely.
With the current style that the national team have, Rokoura also believes that consistency throughout the various levels of PNG netball’s divisional structure should be maintained, so that players are able to follow a set path to the top. This includes education of players, and the coaching staff behind them as well.
A domestic competition featuring the elite netball players in Papua New Guinea is on the cards, and while discussions are still yet to be finalised it is believed that with a domestic competitive program in place, the quality of players with the potential to represent the country on national duties will increase, and lay the foundation for future success internationally for PNG in netball.
Rokoura has been one of PNG’s most successful coaches in recent times. Under her guidance, the country was able to reach the final of the Pacific Games in 2015, become runner’s up in the Nations Cup that same year, and most recently claim their first victory over Singapore in a tight performance in March this year.
