<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us the World Cup is a chance to be an inspiration to girls, not just to prove they can play rugby league, but that they can do much more than people tell them they can,\u201d states Papua New Guinea (PNG) captain Elsie Albert.<\/strong><\/p>\n Continuing that theme, the 26-year-old reveals to Women\u2019s Sports Alliance Founder Jordan Guard that she \u201ccomes from a country where women are often seen as secondary to men,\u201d but Elsie is undeterred and determined to help facilitate change through sport.<\/p>\n As a youngster she had wanted to become a professional boxer, but her parents disapproved of her becoming involved in a \u201cmale dominated\u201d sport.<\/p>\n At the time she followed their instruction, \u201cotherwise I’d be out in the street\u201d she says with a nervous laugh.<\/p>\n Moving away from home and to University proved the catalyst for significant changes in her life and she was determined to take control of her own destiny.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m someone who, if I put my heart and soul into something, I just know I\u2019m going to compete and do what it takes to get what I want,\u201d she tells the WSA Founder Jordan Guard.<\/p>\n PNG\u2019s women\u2019s team, known as the Orchids, made the World Cup in 2017 while Elsie was studying to become a botanist and an idea was born.<\/p>\n That said, she was still so nervous about her parent\u2019s response to her taking up rugby league despite the fact the men\u2019s game is considered PNG\u2019s national sport.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n