A team of 20 boys from across western NSW were selected to take part in what country rugby league stalwart and coach Coach Col Wright believes is a fantastic experience for young players. 

The team travelled around PNG for one week and played games against Sogeri High School, Hiri West and the PNG Under 16’s National team at Oil Search National Football Stadium, Port Moresby.

Wright began the tour in 2005, selecting candidates from the Far West Academy of Sport and Western Rams for the cultural trip which aims to teach the young Aussie kids the privilege of living in Australia. 

“No one really understands what it’s like there unless you go,” Wright said.

“It’s a life changing trip and that’s my belief, I’ve done it for 11 years and I’m going to say that.

“To play in them sort of conditions and to play good football it’s pretty hard. Especially when we play against the national side you have 20,000 mad nationals going crazy and they’ve got to be able to handle them conditions.” 

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“Kids really appreciate that and where they’re going with football,” he said.

Wright said it’s witnessing the Papua New Guinean passion of rugby league and learning about their history which is deeply intertwined with Australia’s own following World War II, which motivated him to organise the tour. 

“When I first went over there to kids that have got nothing, other than the passion of rugby league ... its just from that day I’ve wanted to take kids over there,” Wright said.

“I knew what Kokoda was but I didn’t realise there were soldiers who were 16 years old, the same age as these kids I’m taking, but these kids are returning to come back to Australia with me, but to think those other 16-year-old’s didn’t.”

The tour has helped shape many young players who have gone on to the top level of the game including South Sydney star and Australian representative Alex Johnson.

“I’ve had a kid come and tell me, he was one step away from making the NRL and he said; ‘you saved my life’,” Wright said.

“I said well how did I do that, and he said; ‘I would have been stuck in this town probably on drugs now, but that changed due to how lucky I was, and what I had appreciated after that trip’”.

Over the last four years the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII have presented players with their jerseys before their game. 

Wright says this is an exciting addition to the tour and something this year’s team cherished, with the likes of Daly Cherry-Evans, Tyson Frizell and Jake Trbojevic in the Australian team.

While the Young Achievers were defeated 14-12 by the PNG under 16’s, Wright said the score didn’t matter. 

“We got beat in the main game 14-12 against the national side, we led all thew way and they scored with a late forward pass, but that doesn’t worry me, it worried the kids a bit but I told them to wake up to themselves its only a game.”

Wright said while there was support from the Nyngan community he was always on the lookout for any support to ensure the tour continues in the future. Anyone interested can contact him on 0428 419 426.