DARU TO STAGE FLY RIVER CUP

PICTURE CAPTION: Homda Boys arriving in Daru yesterday. Picture by Kenny Romanus

BY KENNY ROMANUS

DURU the capital town of Western Province, is preparing for an exciting week of rugby league as teams from all four districts of Western Province converge on the island capital for the Fly River Cup.

The tournament will begin on Monday, January 19, at the main Daru Sports Oval, featuring eight teams in total, two teams from each district. North Fly District is sending in Kiunga Catfish and Homda, while from Middle Fly District, Strickland Pandas and Fly Hornbills. Delta Fly District is fielding in Balimo Suliki and Dibili Pukpuks, and Trans Papuan Blacks
Daru Barramundis representing South Fly the host district.

Teams from the Middle Fly District have already reached Kiunga, the administrative centre of North Fly, where they are linking up with North Fly teams before continuing their journey to Daru.

Teams from Delta Fly are expected to arrive during the weekend.
Players, team officials, and tournament organizers began traveling from Kiunga on Monday, January 12, with additional departures on Friday, January 16, and arrivals continuing up to Monday, January 19.

Travel plans have been disrupted by ongoing runway extension works at Kiunga Airport, which have led to passenger restrictions to avoid aircraft overloading. This situation has mainly impacted teams from the North Fly and Middle Fly districts.

Consequently, part of the Strickland Pandas squad traveled earlier in the week, while several Homda players were left behind, with only 12 players able to fly to Daru yesterday.

To address this, special flight arrangements are being organized with support from Western Province Governor Taboi Awi Yoto. A charter flight is scheduled for Saturday, January 17, to transport those who were offloaded.

The Fly River Cup aims to highlight emerging rugby league talent and offers young men from across Western Province a platform to advance their sporting careers.
Officials from the PNG Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) will be present at the tournament, along with franchise coaches from the Port Moresby Vipers, Gulf Isapea, Hela Wigmen, and Central Dabaris. These coaches will be scouting players with potential to advance to the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup.

Meanwhile, preparations at the main Daru Sports Oval are well underway, including grass cutting and other maintenance works.

The Fly River Cup is sponsored by the Fly River Provincial Government (FRPG) and supported by Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML), Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC), PNG Sustainable Development Program (SDP), Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF), Lotic Bige Limited (LBL), and Dokona Papua Construction (DPC).