Hull KR’s Papua New Guinean partnership comes to fruition as young Kumul arrives

Ben Olawumi
Willie Peters, Hull KR badge, Papua New Guinea flag

Super League outfit Hull KR have a partnership with Papua New Guinean club Port Moresby Vipers

Hull KR’s partnership with Papua New Guinean outfit Port Moresby Vipers has seen young Kumul Junior Bini Kaeaka link up with the Robins at academy level.

The partnership – which was announced last April – is intended to give some of the best young talent in PNG the opportunity to forge a career in Super League.

Any Kumuls young guns that are successful in making it into the senior set-up in East Hull will go down as ‘federation-trained’, meaning they will not take up a quota spot.

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Hull KR’s Papua New Guinean partnership comes to fruition as young Kumul arrives

17-year-old half-back Kaeaka is among the first arrivals through the partnership, and reports in PNG suggest that he has joined KR on a two-year youth contract.

The teenager has caught the eye playing for his school team as well as the Vipers’ academy, with KR announcing his signing midway through last week.

On Sunday, the Robins posted pictures of Kaeaka’s arrival in the UK on social media.

Kaeaka is from mixed parentage of Central and Milne Bay. He plays halfback for his school team and the Port Moresby Vipers Academy. He is looking forward to the experience and promised not to take it for granted.

Kaeaka, who hails from the Koiari Central Province, was accompanied to the UK by Tony Sipa, the vice-chairman of the Vipers.

Speaking to a Papua New Guinean news outlet last week, Sipa detailed: “Junior is going to be with Hull KR for two years.

“They will be taking care of all his stays, accommodation and everything. John Okul, a former PNG Kumul based in the UK, will be his welfare manager, while he (Kaeaka) is there.”

Part of the Vipers’ partnership with KR means that any youngsters who make the move over to Hull will be provided with comprehensive education and welfare support to aid their personal development and integration into a new environment.

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