PNG set to become 18th NRL team

Joshhh

Joshhh

Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Lots of stuff going around on socials saying Papua New Guinea are set to be the next expansion team.

Very interesting, it would obviously be great to have a team with such a passionate supporter base, just shocking to think it could be so soon. I would have thought a PNG side would be near to a decade off from being ready but who knows, it might be a huge success for rugby league.
 
I would have thought with the surge of success and popularity for rugby league in NZ this year, it would have been the perfect time to introduce a second team here. Economically it's got to be a better bet.

I saw the PNG vs Cook Islands game on the weekend and there were a heap of empty seats ... I always find that weird given rugby league is meant to be so huge over there, they never seem go close to selling out their home tests. Maybe that's another economic thing and people not being able to afford tickets?
 
It would be great to have a team from PNG, but it is a poor country. I doubt the they would be able raise funds necessary to fund the team each year. They would also need decent facilities as well.
 
PNG will get massive benefits from this.
If it's the same as their last bid it comes with backing from both the PNG and Australian governments, so more economically sound than any other club in the comp.
PNG should be able to establish a tourism industry based on footy fans going to see their team play, which means hotels, regular flights, jobs in service industries.
They'll have to build and maintain first world stands and seating at their ground for the away fans, for which they'll be able to charge normal NRL ticket prices, which is a fortune in PNG.
PNG has come a long, long way in the last 10 years - both in football and in the overall economy of the country. With Government backing they can do this now, and over the next 10 years their economy with double in size and their 10mill population will all get richer and make the club a powerhouse.
 
Their stadium was redeveloped in 2015 and has since hosted an under 20s Women's Soccer World Cup, so it is already up to a high standard. Only holds 14,800 though.

If it's just a holiday destination for NRL fans then is it really doing any good for the game in PNG? Going to games should be accessible for fans in their own country.
 
It’s not safe for tourists to walk around Port Moresby. I used to work for a federal government department and some of my co-workers had to go there for work and they had to stay in guarded compounds and were not allowed to go out anywhere. My colleagues said the security during their visit was intense.
 
Jack DeBelin first signing 💯

I think I heard that they'll play in Darwin, which makes sense because it is preposterously dangerous there.

I've heard a similar thing Lefty, a mate of mine was there for work about 15 years ago and his manager got hacked to death in a car park by a band of dudes with machetes. Apparently there was little to no discernible motive lol. They reckon the victim may have accidentally spooked them (perpetrators) by doing something slightly unusual in the days previous. They legit don't know why it happened
 
Les Misérables said:
Jack DeBelin first signing 💯

I think I heard that they'll play in Darwin, which makes sense because it is preposterously dangerous there.

I've heard a similar thing Lefty, a mate of mine was there for work about 15 years ago and his manager got hacked to death in a car park by a band of dudes with machetes. Apparently there was little to no discernible motive lol. They reckon the victim may have accidentally spooked them (perpetrators) by doing something slightly unusual in the days previous. They legit don't know why it happened
Click to expand...
Playing out of Darwin would be excellent for the NT.
 
I don’t get it, why not just create a Darwin team? Is the PNG govt going to fund that? The whole scheme seems a bit crazy to me. And not exactly guaranteed funding wise, because if there’s a change of govt I can imagine that being the first thing on the block.
 
PNG supporter base aside, it's probably a broader strategic flex on competing codes. Expanding into offshore markets that are crying out for the product is hard to look past, despite some logistical impracticalities.

Tbf PNG Gov would be making money on it. They'd be able monetise it, so anything they put back in would be a cost of doing good business.
 
It’s because the Australian government is going to pay the NRL $20 million per year to fund a PNG team, it’s their solution to combating the growing influence of China in the region. Even though the team would play in Cairns because it wouldn’t be safe in PNG. You seriously couldn’t make this **** up. No mention of the fact that If another government decides to stop funding it they’re screwed. It’s ridiculous it should be Perth.
 
Yeah that's what I've read too, the Aus govt will support it to strengthen their presence in the Pacific against China.

It definitely seems very politically motivated to me. You all know me, I love international league and expansion of our game. If PNG had the economy and infrastructure to support it I would be all for it, but I think that's got to be 20 plus years away currently.

NZ 2 and Perth would be my priorities for sure. Not sure about where a 20th team would be though.
 
the international relations arguments doesnt even make sense. PNG is already obsessed with league... what's going to change, they'll become more obsessed an turn down chinese yuan investment?
 
I don't get why people keep talking down PNG.
Ten years ago people were saying the Hunters would never get off the ground, would soon fail if they did, and wouldn't produce players.
Next year is their 10th year, they have produced dozens of players across the Qld cup, ESL and NRL and they have boosted the PNG national side to top 8 in the world - and if you counted locally produced players only, they'd be number 4 behind Aus, Eng, and NZ and ahead of France.
They have a economy that doubles in size every 10 years and a population bigger than the rest of the pacific countries combined - including NZ.
Entering the Hunters in the Qld cup was the first step to NRL, and they have smashed every benchmark set for them, despite having the policy of releasing any player who gets an offer from any other team, so losing their best players every year.
 
I would be surprised if PNG is the next team added to the competition. There are other bids from other cities/areas with less issues.
 
nighttiime said:
the international relations arguments doesnt even make sense. PNG is already obsessed with league... what's going to change, they'll become more obsessed an turn down chinese yuan investment?
Click to expand...
Not really wanting to buy into the politics of this...but just to make it clear - supporting/setting up the spending of $20 million per year for 20 years to be able to hold some tactical sway over a 'wavering' regional partner for an extended period of time is an astute political decision that would be seen as a very cheap investment on our part. i.e. every PNG Prime Minister would want to be the one who secured a long term in for a PNG NRL team and (more importantly) none would ever want to be the PM that 'lost' that opportunity, should they start 'wavering' any time in the future.

Whether this should or shouldn't be playing a part/be a determining factor in NRL expansion is a very different discussion...but I do get the 'smart' politics aspect of it, for both the government and the financial underwriting of it for the NRL for the next 20 years.
 
Still_Nutty said:
Not really wanting to buy into the politics of this...but just to make it clear - supporting/setting up the spending of $20 million per year for 20 years to be able to hold some tactical sway over a 'wavering' regional partner for an extended period of time is an astute political decision that would be seen as a very cheap investment on our part. i.e. every PNG Prime Minister would want to be the one who secured a long term in for a PNG NRL team and (more importantly) none would ever want to be the PM that 'lost' that opportunity, should they start 'wavering' any time in the future.

Whether this should or shouldn't be playing a part/be a determining factor in NRL expansion is a very different discussion...but I do get the 'smart' politics aspect of it, for both the government and the financial underwriting of it for the NRL for the next 20 years.
Click to expand...
I've worked in the Solomans a bit and China's influence is growing massively throughout the region. You are right this is a smart investment by the government and is is a way of counteracting China's belt and road.

Also love the way they play the game. Brutal!
 
Billy said:
I don't get why people keep talking down PNG.
Ten years ago people were saying the Hunters would never get off the ground, would soon fail if they did, and wouldn't produce players.
Next year is their 10th year, they have produced dozens of players across the Qld cup, ESL and NRL and they have boosted the PNG national side to top 8 in the world - and if you counted locally produced players only, they'd be number 4 behind Aus, Eng, and NZ and ahead of France.
They have a economy that doubles in size every 10 years and a population bigger than the rest of the pacific countries combined - including NZ.
Entering the Hunters in the Qld cup was the first step to NRL, and they have smashed every benchmark set for them, despite having the policy of releasing any player who gets an offer from any other team, so losing their best players every year.
Click to expand...
I don’t know who you’re talking about opposing them joining the Queensland Cup, I’ve always thought that was a great idea, and everyone else comment on it has said the same. Going back to the Port Moresby Vipers it’s been a natural fit for them.

And they have always been in the top four or five league teams in the world. They were the fifth team to start playing tests, after England, Australia, NZ and France. They’ve beaten NZ and Great Britain. I can’t imagine any time since they were admitted to test match football that they wouldn’t have been in the top eight sides, it’s probably only in recent years they’ve fallen out of the top four sides, with Tonga and Samoa coming through.

They have a vastly higher population than NZ, but you have to consider their GDP of $32 billion vs NZ $252 billion. And it’s only an urban population of 1.4 million vs 4.4 million in NZ. A lot of PNG’s population is living in places that is not going to be impacted in any way by an NRL side.
 
I’m going to go against the grain and say I wouldn’t be putting another team in at all. If anything, I’d be removing a few.
Just my opinion, but I don’t think there’s enough talent out there to supply the demand and it’s only going to get worse if the NRL don’t focus on grassroots.
I don’t know about where everyone else is from, but country footy is dying a slow death out here and seems be doing so in every area that I work in when I ask around.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top