PNG by 129 points. Despite significant planning reciprocal tour to Nauru planned for 1978 did not eventuate. One of the biggest challenges for the national team was that many of its best players were outside of Port Moresby (some of the strongest leagues were in the north, the highlands and New Britain) and lacked a means to travel to train and play in the team, let alone to fly overseas. 1977 saw Australian Under 17 squad tour Papua New Guinea, and the PNG team reciprocated in Adelaide, with Australia taking the honours in a close match. In 1978 Australia's National Football League assumed control of the team and diverted all its funding to juniors and entered a side into the 1979 Teal Cup to create a talent pathway to VFL however the initiative was extremely unsuccessful with the Teal Cup team performing disastrously and no players recruited to the senior VFL. Due to no funding for senior international tests (PNG had to cancel its proposed 1979 tour of Nauru), it also caused the PNG government to withdraw all national funding for the sport. Following the withdrawal of the Australian administration and the collapse of the national competitions, an undermanned PNG team played mainly against teams mainly from Queensland. In 1995 the Mosquitos competed internationally under the moniker of the Mosquitos at the Arafura Games in Darwin, Northern Territory. That year PNG won the gold medal of the International division defeating New Zealand. In the same competition, PNG also competed against sides from Nauru, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. In 1996 the Mosquitoes played a curtain raiser to an Australian Football League match in Perth overwhelmingly defeating the Central Desert Eagles. In 1997, PNG successfully defended their Arafura Games title again defeating New Zealand. In 1999 won the gold medal again at the games, once again defeating New Zealand in the final. In 2000, the Mosquitoes were invited to play New Zealand in a curtain raiser to a pre-season AFL match in Wellington, but were unable to raise the funds required. In 2002, Papua New Guinea competed in the International Cup in Melbourne. PNG went through the competition undefeated only to lose to Ireland in the Grand Final. A minor setback to the representation of the Mosquitos was the cancellation of the 2003 Arafura Games due to SARS fears. Prior to the 2005 International Cup, AFL legend Mal Michael offered to