Castleford Tigers duo Liam Horne and Sylvester Namo have been selected to play for Papua New Guinea Prime Minister’s XIII.
Liam Horne, in his first full season in first-grade rugby league, was one of the Tigers‘ stand-out players.
Originally making his debut in August last year in a 28-0 loss to Huddersfield Giants, he has become an important player in all of the hooker, loose-forward and prop positions, in and around the appearances of Paul McShane and young Cain Robb.
One particular notable performance came against Catalans Dragons, when he scored twice and was electric with ball in hand in a 24-18 victory, the last game of their mid-season purple patch. Namo joined the club at the start of the 2024 campaign and has made 15 appearances.
Now, they have both been selected to play in the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister’s XIII against the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII.
This is ahead of the full squad playing in the Pacific Championship, where Super League stars Rodrick Tai, Nene Macdonald and Rhyse Martin are all expected to feature.
However, the PM’s XIII – an invitational squad – is largely made up of the PNG Hunters, who play in Australia’s reserve-grade.
One of the players included is Castleford target Judah Rimbu, a hooker who is expected to be one of their first announced signings for 2025.
The team will be coached by Jason Demetriou, who was sacked by South Sydney Rabbitohs earlier this year.
On the squad for the upcoming fixture, he said: “It is not until you get the list of players available that you realise how strong the side can be, so I am looking forward to pulling that together,” Demetriou said.
“The big thing for me is putting in a programme and a plan that is authentic and suits the way the Kumuls like to play and that for me as a coach is the most exciting challenge.”
