THE message Nathan Merritt is spreading in Papua New Guinea is close to his heart.
The highlands country behind Lae is a long way from Redfern, where he grew up, but some of the social issues are the same. ''It's not as bad where I come from as it is over here but there are similarities with the violence,'' Merritt said yesterday.
''You see a little bit of violence, growing up, against women, and I can see the similarities here. It's good for me to get amongst this and [spread] the message across because I saw a fair bit of it when I was young.''
Merritt will play on the wing in the Prime Minister's XIII against PNG today in what, according to Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens, is a game that will have a bearing on the make-up of his Four Nations squad. While an opportunity to clinch a Test jersey is in the back of their minds, the players have even more important business to attend to - spreading the message to the locals that violence against women is unacceptable.
Merritt stressed that the Third-World poverty in PNG was far from his own upbringing, but there were some similarities. Most of the violence he witnessed growing up on the Block was between men, but there were times when women were also the victims.
Taking time out from a coaching clinic to speak to The Sun-Herald, the Rabbitohs star - who topped the 2011 try-scoring list alongside Bulldogs counterpart Ben Barba - felt the message was getting through.
''The key message we're here to get across is to stop violence against women,'' he said.
''Violence against women is a big thing here now and we want to get across that that's never appropriate. They look up to us footy players so it gives us a chance to send that message across. We're role models to them so whatever we say will hopefully have an influence and make sure they don't do it. You can see how much the kids love footy, it's the national sport over here.''
Parramatta prop Tim Mannah, making his second visit to PNG, is also conscious of his standing as a role model.
''They say that two of every three women in PNG have had violence against them - it's a huge stat and we're trying to provide awareness that that is not OK,'' Mannah said. ''We're fortunate and appreciate the profile we have in our sport and the locals respect what we say. This is a great message to spread.''
The match against the Kumuls is the culmination of a series of activities in conjunction with AusAID and the Papua New Guinea Rugby League. The PM's squad also stressed to local children the importance of healthy lifestyles and playing by the rules.
For Merritt, who made the City Origin team, it is also a chance to take the next step at representative level.
''That's the way all of the boys are treating it, it's a trial for an Australian jumper,'' he said. ''We're here to honour the Australian jersey and do our best. We know that there's an opportunity for some of us to get picked [for the Four Nations] and that's how we'll go into the game.''
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