PNG

[Munted]

Why aren't there more PNG fellas in the NRL?

 

[AlwaysGreen]

A non Australian team struggling for 10 to 20 years?

Isn't that the warriors?

 

[East Coast Tiger]

It's funny how when this issue was raised a few years ago the arguments against it were they wouldn't have the money, they neither had a decent stadium nor were they capable of building one and their players aren't good enough. Now they've got TWO new stadia, they're filling them and they have lots of government and corporate support. Even the players are looking more capable. They've won the Qld Cup and they have several players in the NRL and SL systems before you consider the possibility of signing anyone else.

What no one can question is the support they get from fans. They would instantly be the best supported RL club in the world. In fact the Hunters probably already are. Not just RL but rugby in general.

There's almost no chance an NRL that can't even expand the game in Australia and NZ will expand elsewhere, but hopefully there will be some lasting legacy for the game in PNG and they can host more big games and get more players into the NRL. One day they could be competing with Australia and NZ.

 

[carcharias]

A non Australian team struggling for 10 to 20 years?

Isn't that the warriors?

Yeah well
Kiwis don’t give a f**k about rugby league

Whereas PNG loves the shit out of it.

 

[BuffaloRules]

I would love to see more PNG players in the NRL so why don't we with such a large player base?

Why aren't they being talent scouted like the gazillions of Kiwis from a young age?

 

[carcharias]

I would love to see more PNG players in the NRL so why don't we with such a large player base?

Why aren't they being talent scouted like the gazillions of Kiwis from a young age?

Probably because NZ has had massive Rugby program for a very long time now.
There’s a good chance the kiwis have a union back ground .
PNG players have never had those opportunities .

 

[BuffaloRules]

Probably because NZ has had massive Rugby program for a very long time now.
There’s a good chance the kiwis have a union back ground .
PNG players have never had those opportunities .

I agree that there is a wide differernce in junior development/coaching expertise between the two country set ups..particularly considering NRL clubs are poaching NZ Union kids...

Still... I would have thought there might be some PNG kids say 14-15 who would have the natural skills that would stick out to be developed by scouts.... is anyone even looking?

If you leave it much later than this it's probably too late for 99 per cent ...

 

[carcharias]

I agree that there is a wide differernce in junior development/coaching expertise between the two country set ups..particularly considering NRL clubs are poaching NZ Union kids...

Still... I would have thought there might be some PNG kids say 14-15 who would have the natural skills that would stick out to be developed by scouts.... is anyone even looking?

If you leave it much later than this it's probably too late for 99 per cent ...

How many Melbourne kids do you know of that have made it in the NRL?

 

[BuffaloRules]

How many Melbourne kids do you know of that have made it in the NRL?

Huh?

Are the PNG kids playing AFL like the Melbourne kids?

 

[carcharias]

Huh?

Are the PNG kids playing AFL like the Melbourne kids?

Well
You’re trying to say that PNG hasn’t produced any players
Yet look at the current premiers
They have produced f**k all players.

...and if truth be told PNG has probably produced more current players than Victoria.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Well
You’re trying to say that PNG hasn’t produced any players
Yet look at the current premiers
They have produced f**k all players.

...and if truth be told PNG has probably produced more current players than Victoria.

My words were why aren't PNG producing MORE NRL players...

The place being RL mad and all that...

But apparently fumbler dominated Victoriania is the yardstick that they should be compared to...

 

[beave]

How havent the Melbourne team ‘produced’ players though?

Pretty sure the big 4/3 weren’t household names carving it up on the origin scene when they were signed back in the day as teens into the Storm systems.

Who gives a f**k where the players are from originally honestly.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

PNG people can't just get a visa to move to Australia. They have to be earning a certain amount which means it's nearly impossible for them to get into under 20s and reserve grade squads. Although with all the extra money in NRL clubs and wages blowing out this might improve.
Secondly there is a prejudice against PNG players because they are seen as small in stature, which in general is true, but not all are and even though they're short on average they are solid and strong.
I'd be willing to bet the fact scouts wouldn't want to go there doesn't help either. If you're an NRL scout would you tell your club you want to go to PNG to look at some kids? Especially if Fiji is another option. There's a lot of laziness in NRL scouting. The fact the salary cap doesn't reward clubs for being proactive in developing players from different places doesn't help.

 

[carcharias]

My words were why aren't PNG producing MORE NRL players...

The place being RL mad and all that...

But apparently fumbler dominated Victoriania is the yardstick that they should be compared to...

Well you tried to use the juniors as some sort of reason not to have a team in PNG
Yet
Look at the premiers.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Well you tried to use the juniors as some sort of reason not to have a team in PNG
Yet
Look at the premiers.

No I didn't.

 

[King hit]

My words were why aren't PNG producing MORE NRL players...

The place being RL mad and all that...

But apparently fumbler dominated Victoriania is the yardstick that they should be compared to...

I don't think they had a decent feeder system or RL development till just recently. Even then they did produce Adrian Lam and Marcus Bai who were good players. With their inclusion and success in the ISC there will likely be more PNG born and raised talent with that system.

Melbourne is just so different. I've never been to a place where they are just so obsessed with the one sport. Some Victorians have abused me for being a Rugby League fan.

 

[BuffaloRules]

I seem to recall that Lam went to high school in Australia ( could be wrong there.,)... but if true it made him easier to be discovered...

Not sure of how Bai found himself in the UK (and then later in the NRL) but what a great talent he was... how many like him are slipping through the cracks?

 

[M2D2]

He is inferring Melbourne, THE PLACE hasnt produced many stars because their systems support AFL players first and foremost, just like PNG has no youth system to train them in skills to make it in the top grade.
Which is why Melbourne has their scouts in QLD and NSW rather than Victoria due to their lack of quality in state juniors.
PNG needs the systems they currently dont have before there is a lot more of them in NRL.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Forget the NRL, if the team falls over (which it probably would) or gets flogged EVERY week (which it definitely would) it could really damage the game in PNG.

Focus on pathways for locals to come to Australian teams and stick to Rep football (it is an irregular schedule so no one gets upset if they cant field a team every now and then and the players dont need to live there).

I keep hearing about NZ vs Tonga over the Origin period, but most Tongan players would pick NSW first. NZ vs PNG makes so much more sense...

 

[kdalymc]

You know what this forum needs? More threads 2 pages long about PNG needing an nrl team