Away from the spotlight: Yagi Yasasa and Emmanuel Simon continue Australian journey with Bendigo City

When Yagi Yasasa and Emmanuel Simon left Papua New Guinea for Australia in March 2025, their move to Bendigo City attracted attention back home. More than a year later, however, the two Kapuls internationals have largely disappeared from the regional football headlines. Their Australian journey did not end after a short spell: both remained in Victoria and have now completed a second season with Bendigo City.

The pair arrived in Australia in March last year after an opportunity organised through former Papua New Guinea international George Slefendorfas and his Playerpin Management pathway. At the time, the move represented another important step for two players with considerable experience in PNG football, giving them the opportunity to test themselves in a different football environment while continuing their respective careers abroad.

Their involvement with Bendigo started almost immediately. Both players completed 90 minutes in an early friendly as they settled into their new surroundings, before featuring in competitive football only days later. Simon started Bendigo City’s Dockerty Cup meeting with Whittlesea United, while Yasasa was introduced from the bench against opposition playing higher in the Victorian football pyramid.

The league campaign soon provided further evidence that the Papua New Guinean duo were not simply peripheral additions. Both started Bendigo City’s emphatic 8-0 victory over Footscray Rangers in March 2025, with Simon scoring late in the contest. It was one of the earliest tangible contributions from the midfielder following his move from PNG football to Australia.

Bendigo went on to enjoy an impressive 2025 State League 5 campaign. The club finished second in its division after collecting 49 points from 20 matches, winning 16 times and losing only three. Their attacking numbers were particularly remarkable, with Bendigo scoring 111 goals across the league season as they finished narrowly behind champions Newport Storm.

For Yasasa and Simon, however, perhaps the most significant detail is what happened afterwards. Neither returned permanently to Papua New Guinea after the campaign. Both remained with Bendigo City for 2026, turning what initially could have been viewed as another short Pacific football opportunity in Australia into a longer overseas chapter.

The two players arrived in Bendigo at very different stages of their careers. Yasasa, now in his mid-20s, had already accumulated experience with several prominent PNG clubs before moving overseas, including Besta PNG United, Vitiaz United, Lae City, Hekari United and Port Moresby Strikers. His career has also included involvement with the Papua New Guinea national team, establishing him among a generation of players trying to gain greater exposure beyond the domestic competition.

Simon brought considerably more experience. The midfielder spent a substantial part of his career with Lae City and later featured for Gulf Komara, helping the club reach a national grand final before making the move to Australia. Already an established international, his presence in Victoria provided another example of an experienced Pacific player continuing his career within Australia’s extensive state-league system.

The 2026 season was less successful for Bendigo than the previous campaign. Competing in State League 5 North-West, the club was unable to reproduce its 2025 title challenge and finished further down the standings. Nevertheless, Yasasa and Simon remaining part of the Bendigo setup throughout another full campaign is significant in itself.

For Pacific players, Australian football opportunities are often followed closely when a transfer is announced but can quickly disappear from wider regional attention once the player moves outside the professional leagues. Below the A-League, Australia’s state competitions contain a large number of clubs and divisions, making the careers of Oceanian players considerably harder to track despite them continuing to play regularly in competitive environments.

Yasasa and Simon are examples of exactly that situation. Their move was covered when they arrived, but their names have subsequently been much less visible despite both continuing their careers in Victoria. In a region where many footballers balance the ambition of playing abroad with the realities of semi-professional football, their continued presence in Australia represents a meaningful chapter of their careers.

They also remain names with relevance to Papua New Guinea football. Both have previously represented the Kapuls and were part of the wider national-team picture after moving to Bendigo. With another international cycle developing and competition for places continuing, maintaining regular football abroad can only keep both players within consideration whenever future national-team selections are made.

There may be no A-League spotlight around Bendigo City and very little international coverage of the Victorian lower divisions, but Yasasa and Simon have quietly continued doing what many Pacific footballers attempt to achieve: establish themselves overseas, adapt to a different football culture and remain there beyond a single season.

More than 18 months after leaving Papua New Guinea, their Australian story is still continuing. For two Kapuls who have largely slipped out of the regional radar, that journey deserves to be noticed again.