PAPUA New Guinea rugby football league chairman Sandis Tsaka expressed satisfaction with the talents on show in the PNG NRL Academy national schools championships grand finals. He said the future of the sport in the country is not only aligning with the entry into NRL in 2028 but beyond. “Without the NRL Bid, we won’t be doing the junior elite pathway programs that the PNG NRL team is doing… we just don’t have the capacity to do that but with the inclusion of NRL Bid program we are finally getting the resources, skill set and capacity to implement this program,” Mr Tsaka said. “It has been going on for the last three years. “I commend CEO Andrew Hill and the team that is working behind the scenes to deliver this program.” “It is in six provinces and this is the future of the game,” said Tsaka. He said at this level it is not only about developing players but also technical aspect of rugby league. “Investments into referee developments, coaches, trainers, medical team so it is a holistic rugby league program in developing the nursery for the future.” “Not only supporting NRL team in 2028 but will help grow the game nationwide.” “The investment at this level will help our national competitions like Digicel ExxonMobil Cup, Santos Cup and also our affiliate league programs with better coaches, referees.” “The investment is a game changer for the country,” said Tsaka.