PORT MORESBY, (THE NATIONAL) — Papua New Guinea netball coach Unaisi Rokoura says a lack of competition for her players is a major stumbling block in their preparation for the Pacific Games in July.
A 20-member Pepes squad travel to Fiji today for a tournament that will involve the Fiji Pearls, a second Fijian representative side (Fiji A) and Singapore over the next four days.
Rokoura, pictured, hopes the game time complements the work players and coaching staff have put in since the beginning of the year.
“We have been training really well over the last three months with work on the court at the Port Moresby National High School and at the National High Performance Centre but one thing the players have not had is a chance to play games and that is one area we hope to address with this trip to Fiji,” Rokoura said.
“Obviously we would prefer our players be involved in a competition here in the city, but that is not possible, so we hope to give the team that valuable game time in Fiji and then we have another stint in Australia at Runaway Bay (Gold Coast) with training and matches.”
With a lack of a local competition in Port Moresby, where the majority of the squad is based, Rokoura said any time on the court between now and July was invaluable for the Pepes.
The Port Moresby Netball Association is understood to have called off its 2015 season with no suitable venue to host the premier grade and eight divisions of teams.
