BRISBANE, Australia – Timon Yemini is a rising star of Papua New Guinea rugby league.
A young prospect carving his own path in the rugby league scene in Brisbane, Australia.
It is on the field that Yemini shines as the lock forward for Carina Tigers, a local club in the Brisbane Rugby League Competition.
Now 23, the Carina Tigers lock forward stands 180cm and tips the scale at 102kg; and with some serious pedigree in the sport, has begun to make some noise on the local rugby league scene in the game he so dearly loves.
In 2023, Yemini took to the field with the Kokomo Nines representing Papua New Guinea in the annual Queensland Pacific Cup which they won.
He impressed enough to earn a two-year rugby league contract with the Carina Tigers in the Brisbane Rugby League competition.
As the accomplishments stack up for Yemini, he’s inching closer to realizing his ultimate dream of playing for the Papua New Guinea Kumuls.
As a young boy growing up in Kaundaka village, Upper Mendi in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea, Yemini has drawn inspiration from Kumuls players such as Wellington Albert to motivate him in his rugby league journey.
It was in Mendi that Yemini developed his love for the game we call rugby league.
From 2014 to 2017, the schoolboys rugby league competition in Mendi provided the exposure that Yemini needed to kick start his rugby league career.
And in 2019, Yemini impressed selectors during the Ipatas cup and was signed by Hela Wigmen but had to put on hold his rugby to complete his year 12 studies in 2021.
Yemini’s talents were sought after by rugby league franchises in Papua New Guinea who were eagerly awaiting his return to the field.
The young Kaundaka man did not disappoint the selectors with his performance in the Southern Highlands Provincial 9s rugby league competition while playing with the TNT Brothers in Mendi.
In 2021, Yemini was scouted by the Enga Mioks rugby league club and made his debut in the Digicel cup.
His rise in the national rugby league competition would see him play for the Port Moresby Vipers in 2022 for three months before moving to Brisbane.
The journey may be long but Yemini is putting in the work with the Carina Tigers and is determined to be eligible for the Papua New Guinea Kumuls in the coming years.
Written by: Mickey Kavera (Contributor)