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Aaron Woods/weststigers.com.au Wests Tigers prop Aaron Woods has written a blog on his incredible experience playing rugby league in Papua New Guinea. In the first of a two part series, 'Woodsy' talks about his experiences off the field and how passionate the people of PNG are about rugby league. WOODSY'S WORDS I was very honoured to be chosen in the Australian Prime Minister's XIII team. For me, it was a chance to not only pull on the green and gold jersey of Australia for the first time but to push my case for higher representative honours. One of the best things about making a senior rep team is the opportunity of getting to know players and staff from other NRL sides. And on this trip to PNG, it was no exception. There was a squad of 30 people in all under Head Coach Mal Meninga. It was good to have a few familiar Wests Tigers faces in Chris Lawrence and Beau Ryan, as well as our club media manager Wayne Cousins who filled the same role for the Aussie team. I must admit I had a mixed feeling of excitement and nerves about heading to PNG as you hear so many stories about this third world country. The first day (Thursday) saw the team fly to Cairns where we had our first training session before attending a Men of League dinner at Brothers Leagues Club. We had a great night out and it was a chance to bond with the players and staff.
On Friday, we flew to Port Moresby. What a reception we received. There were thousands of people jammed up against fences and standing on hills screaming. It was like a rock star welcome. It was funny hearing chants of 'Woodsy, Woodsy' in between other players names. Kids chased our team bus wherever we went while drivers sped up alongside us often with one hand on the wheel and their mobile phone in the other. They were even driving with cracked windscreens and overloaded cars! It was a lot of fun and the boys enjoyed it. Not once did we feel threatened. All they wan to do is get up close to their league heroes. They were also not short in asking for any clothes or hats which we were happy to help out with after seeing the conditions they live in. At a team dinner function that night, we met the players from the PNG team. These blokes were well built for players who don't train full-time for their nine team competition. Day three (Saturday) saw the team split into groups as part of promotional work including from hospital and library visits. I took part in conducting rugby league skills at a high school to some of the young talented league players in PNG. The afternoon saw the team train at Lloyd Robson Oval for the first time. Again, we were chased by young kids and excited drivers. It was like that wherever we went. The ground itself was a real eye opener and makes you appreciate the venues we play at. The field wasn't marked out and people were rushing around to finish all the jobs they needed to do, including a fresh coat of paint for the small grandstand. It was crazy but it gave us an insight into what game day would be like. RLeague News Comments are closed.
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