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PNG trio settle in at Hunslet
By Jack Ami
BACK home they bask in 40 degree heat and are well known in their home towns. But the trio of Papua New Guinea rugby league stars signed by Hunslet Hawks have found life is a little different in Leeds. For starters, Charlie Wabo, Michael Mark and Nicko Slain arrived to find snow on the ground, something they’d only seen before in movies and which prompted their first ever snowball fight. They were puzzled too by the lack of leaves on the trees, while their first sightseeing trip didn’t prove entirely successful either. “I took them to the White Rose Centre the other day,” says Peter Todd, the Hawks’ general manager. “The trouble was they were a bit frightened about getting lost. It’s a very different culture for them.” But despite these feelings of unfamiliarity, the boys are clearly delighted to have won contracts to play rugby league in England. “The people here are friendly and open and we feel at home,” says Charlie. “Well, apart from the weather.” “We’re glad to be here,” adds the quietly- spoken Nicko. “We just want to play rugby and do well for Hunslet Hawks.” Staying at a motel in Birstall, the lads are slowly starting to acclimatise. “The food is different though,” says Nicko, diplomatically. “Back home we have rice, fresh fish and Kaukau which is a type of vegetable like sweet potato,” explains Charlie. “Here they cook all the food and put it in the fridge for us. It is very big.” Have they tried any northern delicacies yet, like a good meat pie for instance? “No. But we have had chicken and chips.” In Papua New Guinea rugby league is the national sport and they play it everywhere – in schools, in villages and in the bush. In a nation where communities are spread far and wide and many live on or below the poverty line, the sport is seen as a replacement for tribal warfare. The result is that many Papua New Guineans have become instant celebrities by representing their country or playing in an overseas professional league. So Charlie and Nicko, as members of the national team who ran England so close at the recent World Cup, are big stars. Everyone knows them by their first names and their move to England attracted headlines in the local media. Their debuts for the Hawks, however, provided something of a contrast. Just over 500 were in the stands against Sheffield Eagles in the Northern Rail Cup last week, a game which was delayed at half-time because parts of the pitch were starting to freeze over. But none of this appears to have dimmed the imports’ enthusiasm for what lies ahead. “It’s very exciting. It means something to us to come here because it’s where rugby started,” says Nicko. “And coming here we can change our life.” “In Papua New Guinea we play rugby because plenty of our boys they don’t work,” nods Charlie. The trio’s club Hunslet is being kept afloat by unsung heroes like Grahame Liles. For years Grahame has pumped in money to keep a grand old club alive. It’s fine and dandy to recall that Hunslet, in their traditional myrtle, flame and white jerseys, won the Challenge Cup in 1908 and 1934 and were twice Championship winners as well, but memories don’t pay the bills. Hunslet must have been on the verge of closure many a time, but Grahame and a few good friends have baled them out repeatedly and have insisted that the club’s debts would be honoured. So here they are again going into a new season with Grahame as optimistic as ever despite last year finishing bottom after winning just four games. “I think we’ll be all right. We’ve signed three players from Papua New Guinea Nicko Slain, Charlie Wabo and Michael Mark and all the signs are positive,” he says. For their first game, Hunslet Hawks played in the PNG World Cup colours as they welcomed international trio to South Leeds Stadium for the home match against Halifax on February 15. “We want to celebrate three current internationals playing for Hunslet. Playing in PNG’s colours is seen as a welcoming gesture from the players and supporters of Hunslet,” said CEO Alan Stephenson before the game. “We want to play rugby for Hunslet and play with international passion. All the boys want is the chance to prove themselves,” added PNG star Nicko Slain. The Hawks again produced a good effort against opponents from the higher division but slipped to their second defeat in the Northern Rail Cup group at South Leeds. Mark, Wabo and Slain all started. In their next game against Sheffield, Hawks went down 38-16 in their re-arranged Northern Rail game last Wednesday. The bitter conditions affected both sides and Hunslet looked to be in for a heavy defeat when they trailed 16- 0 . But they showed great spirit and a good try by Nathan Larvin after a fine break by Chris Redfearn saw Chapman add a touchline goal. Early in the second half Mark celebrated his debut when he showed great strength to get in at the corner to make it 16-10 and a shock was on the cards. But Sheffield recovered to win. |
SPORTS
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