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Albert, who will start the season playing under coach Trent Barrett in the Panthers' under-20s team, is living with a New Zealand family and teammates in Cranebrook.

Source link: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/penrith-sign-giant-png-youngster-with-size-15-feet-20140202-31v2g.html?


It is the first sighting of its kind, with Albert the first Papua New Guinean native to receive a NRL contract directly from his home country. The 19-year-old boarded a plane in PNG last Tuesday as a national hero, but touched down in Sydney as just another teenager with an NRL dream.

''He's just all raw ability at the moment. He's never been part of a football program, he's never lifted a weight, but he's a big, strong lad. It's quite exciting to get a raw talent like this just to see how far he will go.''

 Albert's manager, Steve Deacon, believes the signing will have a huge impact in Papua New Guinea, where rugby league is already the No.1 sport. ''He'll be a national treasure,'' Deacon said. ''Kids will be running around wanting to be Wellington Albert. That will snowball once he gets his crack at NRL.''

Albert, who will start the season playing under coach Trent Barrett in the Panthers' under-20s team, is living with a New Zealand family and teammates in Cranebrook.

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Location: Papua New Guinea Australia

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