Kukis phone in some help

The Cook Islands national rugby league team has dialled in some help from the countrys national communications provider.

Telecom Cook Islands yesterday signed up as sponsors of the one-off New Zealand-Cook Islands rugby league test match and promise there will be some good surprises to come.

Cook Islands Rugby League Association (CIRLA) president Charles Carlson and Telecom Cook Islands chief executive officer Jules Maher signed on the dotted line yesterday, both pleased with the newly-formed relationship.

Maher said the move made good sense for both parties, Telecom finding a good platform to launch its new e-services while supporting the national team and CIRLA finding some essential backing in the weeks before the test match.

The pair promised that one of the most exciting spin-offs from the coupling would be the prizes up for grabs though a text messaging competition.

Though the final details are not yet available, the prizes on offer should include exclusive access to the Cook Islands and New Zealand teams when they arrive at our shores.

Though the player line-ups are not yet known, the Cook Islands team will include players from Australias NRL senior squads as well as up-and-coming stars.

We are still to confirm the national squad pending on the teams getting in the top eight of the NRL plus the NRL grand final, Carlson said.

The majority of the squad will be NRL players with the rest from the Toyota Cup the NRL junior squads.

The buzz has begun to spread in the Telecom offices, with the staff already dreaming of the possibility to beat the Kiwi side with one of the best Cook Islands teams to have ever been assembled.

The Kiwi-Kuki test match will be played at the BCI Stadium on October 6.

Carlson said it would be a great test for the Cook Islands squad as it moves closer to its 2013 World Cup campaign.