Australia will rely the price of the 50-0 win over its PNG rivals within the ladies’s Prime Minister’s XIII match, with Lauren Brown struggling an damage solely days out from the Pacific Championships.
Within the males’s Prime Minister’s XIII fixture, Papua New Guinea showcased its potential in a 42-20 loss to Australia, because the NRL prepares to grant the Pacific nation a licence to affix the competitors.
Gold Coast Titans utility Brown went down clutching her left hamstring after dropping the kick-off following Jaime Chapman’s second attempt in Port Moresby.
She got here from the sphere and watched from the sidelines as Australia stormed to a match-defining 44-0 half-time lead.
Brown completed the NRLW season as joint runner-up for the Dally M Medal and regarded assured of a spot within the Jillaroos’ 17-player squad for the Pacific Championships opener in opposition to PNG on Friday.
As an alternative, Jillaroos coach Brad Donald can be left deliberating whether or not to advertise a playmaker into the squad to affix Ali Brigginshaw and Tarryn Aiken.
Jesse Southwell confirmed she can be as much as the duty after tearing the shell-shocked Orchids aside on the sides earlier than half-time.
The Newcastle playmaker threw the final move for 3 of Australia’s eight first-half tries, together with when she put newly match captain Kezie Apps right into a gap.
Australia wanted solely 17 tackles contained in the Orchids’ half to storm to their 44-0 lead, with Chapman’s attempt from the kick-off a specific spotlight after the primary drinks break.
The Orchids introduced renewed defensive depth to the second half however remained error-prone with the ball and couldn’t exert strain with their kicking recreation.
However proscribing Australia to 6 factors within the second half can be a supply of confidence in PNG, the place a semi-professional ladies’s league performed its first season this 12 months.
Left winger Keele Browne crossed via a gaping gap to seal her hat-trick in Australia’s solely four-pointer of the second half.
Aussies get dwelling over PNG
Not often has the annual males’s Prime Minister’s XIII match held as a lot intrigue because it did on Sunday, given a 12 months of developments to deliver rugby league stronghold PNG into the NRL from 2028.
The power to successfully harness native expertise and discipline a aggressive crew from the outset have been amongst issues over the Australian government-backed bid.
The PNG crew had misplaced three of the previous 4 PM’s XIII fixtures by 42 factors or extra.
However watching from the sidelines, NRL chief govt Andrew Abdo would have been inspired {that a} native crew comprised principally of gamers from the Queensland Cup’s PNG Hunters might compete with NRL expertise, albeit in patches.
Australia’s Alofiana Khan-Pereira is tackled by the PNG defence. (AAP/NRL Photographs )
On the again of an error from Australia prop Alex Seyfarth, PNG hooker Judah Rimbu burrowed over from dummy-half for the primary factors after 4 minutes.
PNG was conserving tempo with the clock when — following a Fletcher Sharpe knock-on — the hosts shifted left for Robert Mathias to beat fellow centre Reuben Garrick on his strategy to the tryline.
The category of the Australian playmakers started to shine via as Luke Brooks and Tyran Wishart got here on from the bench.
Brooks caught PNG with no marker and darted down the left edge earlier than passing inside to ex-Wests Tigers teammate Jacob Liddle, who gave Australia the lead late within the first half.
Canberra’s Kaeo Weekes changed Sharpe at fullback after the break and had two tries in six minutes to increase the benefit.
In probably the most memorable of these, Australia rolled down-field the place Tallis Duncan flicked an offload away simply in time for Weekes to glide over.
An Australian victory felt inevitable at that time, however there have been extra PNG highlights to return.
A try-saving cowl deal with from Rimbu denied Beau Fermor a second attempt, earlier than PNG contributed the spotlight second of the afternoon.
Left winger Dudley Dotoi, who had earlier bombed a attempt, broke via on the left edge and put in a chip kick over Weekes.
5-eighth Finley Glare grabbed a troublesome bounce to crash over and ship the gang into raptures, earlier than PNG centre Alex Max rating the ultimate attempt of the match.
AAP
