World Footy News

After the staging of the Coca Cola National Talent Camp in Goroka from the 4th to the 6th of December 2009, the Coca Cola Binatangs Under 16 and Under 14 Touring teams have been selected for the 2010 AFL Queensland Championships.

The Coca Cola National Talent camp brings together 120 of the best AFL playing Kids in the country between the ages of 13 and 18 each year and the 2009 crop lived up to some high expectations.

A real testament of the Coca Cola backed Talent Path Program’s exceptional player development ability was the interest shown by AFL Club Recruitment officers who attended.

Even the 2009 AFL Premiers, the Geelong Cats showed faith in the Coca Cola Talent Path, sending its recruitment team up for the weekend event. Other Club recruitment staff getting ‘hands on’ with the talent on show were the Richmond Tigers, the Essendon Bombers and the Brisbane Lions. The Fremantle Dockers didn’t let distance dampen its search for talent calling in regularly through phone conferences with AFLPNG and AFLQ staff.

The two new Franchises coming into the AFL, the Gold Coast based team and the recently announced Greater Western Sydney have rallied behind the PNG and Pacific commitment, both sending their Academy staff to earmark PNG talent for their player pool.

Adding to player motivation was the announcement that 2010 will see the first crop of kids go through the AFLPNG Academy and onto further playing commitments through representation in the World and Pacific Under 17/18 teams who will begin playing in the Australian Under aged Championships.

The Coca Cola Talent Path has certainly pushed above its weight being the only real tangible player path in PNG that allows access to the world’s elite competition in any Code. Certainly the likes of David Meli (Essendon Bombers), Peter Labi (Carlton Blues), Donald Barry (Brisbane Lions), Amua Pirika (Brisbane Lions) and Stanis Susuve (Gold Coast FC), are only the tip of the iceberg here in PNG and the Coca Cola backed Talent Path and identification program is surely unveiling a sleeping giant in PNG and the Pacific for the AFL.

Given the organization that is gone into such a tournament, it is surprising that the AFLPNG could have ever committed to the AFL Oceania U 16 Championships (Fiji) held the week after this tournament in PNG. Certainly finance and volunteers are generally in short supply in international footy and with the likelihood that teams could not be confirmed until a week before the tournament in Fiji, their attendance may have never been likely in the first place. * See comment below.

The Coca Cola Binatangs Under 16 Tour will be in April 2010 and the Coca Cola Under 14 Squad will begin its Tour in June 2010.

COCA COLA U14 BINATANGS 2010

Eremen Ken, Frank Atase, Harry Kombouo, Roy Hara, Nathan Milmu, Chris Yawising, Elijah Kanau, Kintumbing Bussum, Beluka Stanis, Terence Wakon (Northern), Kingsford Goimbe, Wilfred Dorogori, Eddie Kusup, Wyborn Kondra (Southern), Aula Kobale, Godfre Philip, Ben Tiriang (Highlands) Eddie Gavuri, Jack Tony, Michael Bube, Ryan Mondo, Terence Dome, Manwell Kalka, Francis Livia, Alan Kua (Islands) Hiripi Jawijah, Megero Erico, Jackson Anbert, Jones Meli, Ulrich Uluk (Emergencies)

COCA COLA U16 BINATANGS 2010

Gideon Simon, Lionel Ongke, Ezra Gotuna, Junior Rau, Moses Miamez, Armstrong Mexico, Eric kua, Cromwell Inyapa (Highlands), Nathan Malbak, Scott Johnson, Kwara Augere, Willie Au, Joshua Kavapo, Nane Rai ( Northern), Theo Gavuri, Victor Buloi, Ezra Katau, Ernest Waha, Douglas Kaiwa (Islands) Max Lavai, Jeconiah Peni, Noel Maguna, Eddie Meli, Hayden Denton, Junior Francis (Southern) Solomon Pup, Isaac Bakani, Peter Misikaram, Kennedy Lavatu, Himson Lavu, Tonny Ronnie (Emergencies)

* Update 14/01/2010: Just a brief note to say that AFLPNG's Scott Reid wished to emphasise that they genuinely had intended to attend the Cup. "The Oceania Cup Binatangs side was a fully separate group, primarily U15 selection that had been in place and training for several weeks in some cases months in preparation for the tour to Fiji. Unfortunately problems with Visas, flights and passports prevented that group of boys from travelling. We are looking at alternative tours they may join this year and several will gain places in our Academy", and "Absolutely no problems with what goes on the site or what was written but I just want you to have the full picture straight from the horses mouth".