Coaching careers blossom for PNG Orchids assistants

As Orchids player No. 1, Cathy Neap is no stranger to blazing a trial for other women in Papua New Guinea.

The first captain of the country’s national women’s team; for this month’s Pacific Championships, Neap has stepped up to join the coaching staff of the team, alongside fellow former Orchid Della Audama and current Broncos NRLW staffer Meg Ward as assistant coaches to Ben Jeffries.

“I really enjoy my coaching … and back when I was growing up, boys were always seen as the ones talking and giving direction; I just wanted to prove a point back then and then I started coaching a junior boys team in a local competition and just fell in love with it and started my coaching career,” Neap said.

“I currently deliver coaching updates to teachers and volunteers who want to take up coaching for modified rugby league; so I do coach education and also coaching as well.

“I was assistant coach for Junior Orchids, working with Solo (Solomon Kuliniasi) and now I am working with coach BJ.

“(I am hoping) to inspire other girls to become like me and to challenge the norm sort of thinking that coaching is for men only and not for women.”

Former Jillaroo Meg Ward was part of the coaching staff for the Orchids during their successful Rugby League World Cup campaign last year where they reached the semi finals and when she returns to Australia from the Pacific Championships next week, will begin preparing in earnest for her new role as head coach of the North Devils BMD Premiership team.

For Ward, who began her path to coaching under Jamie Soward when she was signed to the St George Illawarra Dragons, the offer to be part of the Orchids staff just made sense after coming to PNG initially to play against the team.

“My first ever representative game – I think it was my fifth game of rugby league – I was over in PNG playing for Australia in the PMs XIII and that was my first ever real rep for rugby league; and it was here in PNG in an Australian jersey with my parents in the crowd in Port Moresby; and that's just something that has stuck with me forever,” Ward said.

“That was 2017 and that's a memory that I will cherish forever. All I ever wanted to do as a kid was wear an Australian jersey and represent my country and to do that in PNG with my family, to then have BJ call me to be a coach … I think with that experience I got around the PNG people so much and I saw how passionate they were and how much they loved the game.

“So when BJ called me, I didn't even hesitate, I was so excited to be involved with the girls and to come over here and help them grow the sport because I feel for PNG, it's so much more than just the sport; you're actually inspiring the next generation.

“You're sending some really strong messages out to help grow PNG as a nation, so I just feel like it's so much more than a sport and to be involved in that and to help these women be better, not only on the field but off the field, it's just really cool experience.”

The most experienced of the trio in PNG’s coaching space, former player Audama was also a member of the inaugural Orchids team that took part in the 2017 World Cup with Neap, with her step into an assistant role with the national side coming after a stint spent as a sports trainer.

All three women have worked hard to gain practical experience and undertaken various courses to be qualified in their roles – including Neap who is heading to Australia next month to complete her Level 2 accreditation – but they have also been blessed with having supportive mentors along the way.

As well as learning on the job with Jeffries, Ward has worked with current and former NRLW coaches Soward, Kelvin Wright and Scott Prince, while Audama and Neap were thankful to former Kumuls turned national coaches Michael Marum and David Westley, whose early support helped set them on their path.

“It's a really tough decision for me to transit from the playing group coming over to the coaching staff; the transition part was hard; but I'm lucky to have a strong mentors like David Westley, who was one of the first coaches who came here to coach the Orchids; he was a really strong man and he had that passion for females (in sport), especially support around the female game,” Auduma said.

“I was working for NRL Development at that time as a casual and Dave was my coach and my colleague at the same time, so we would do clinics together and I could see that there was another pathway apart from playing … and doing that NRL work for two-to-three years gave me the courage to transit from a player into the coaching space.

“So around 2018, he said that there may be some opportunity if you want to be a coach or trainer, so from there, I decided that because of my injury – I couldn't play, it was my shoulder injury – and then seeing that opportunity popping up, I said that made up my mind that ‘okay, I'll stay in the space still be part of that’, because we love rugby league; so seeing another opportunity - it's more bigger than just being a player.

“And from there, to be a trainer for the first ever Broncos match against PNG Orchids … and coach Michael (Marum) also was there to give us the space to be a trainer or coach.

“He was the Hunters coach at the time … so with that great mentorship and the great leaders … people like Dave Westley and coach Michael Marum they really mentored me on my coaching journey, so I appreciate all their support.”