Gus Gould in PNG

[TheRam]

Many people dream of winning the Surf Association Bullion Lottery... doesn't mean it's going to happen. I'm all for keeping the dream alive, but their national dream should consist of many other priorities rather than getting a team into the NRL. PNG should tackle the big issues first, and then second, and then third... and so on.

Maybe you should take a look at the movie Invictus, and see what a wise man thought about what sport can do for a nation. ;-)

 

[Patorick]

Does the Sunny Coast have two federal governments backing it? Does it have a brand new stadium ready to be built? Does it have 6 million potential fans and a junior nursery in the tens if not hundreds of thousands? Does it have a bid team sponsored by some of the biggest companies around like Coca Cola? Does it have a bid team backed by people like a Prime Minister, Paul Broughton, Mal Meninga, Gus Gould, or in fact anybody at all? Do they even have a bid? The answer to every question is NO. So there's your answer. But I'm sure you know more than these people who know the ins and outs of RL from every angle.

meninga has since backed out.

 

[mikail-eagle]

None of the supporters ever answer the question of how they will get Aussies ( players and coaches) to live over there. PNG is one of the most difficult hardship postings in the world.

Anyone can be bought. AlL they need to do is dangle the right amount of carrot and someone will go. We've got players going to AFL for cash at the moment. For money like that I'd go to Port Moresby any day and slog it out.

 

[Eion]

Anyone can be bought. AlL they need to do is dangle the right amount of carrot and someone will go. We've got players going to AFL for cash at the moment. For money like that I'd go to Port Moresby any day and slog it out.

The difference is though that the afl is paying overs as a short term measure to establish the clubs. They don't intend to do it for any length of time. You'd have to pay massive overs forever to get the best players to png.

 

[mikail-eagle]

The difference is though that the afl is paying overs as a short term measure to establish the clubs. They don't intend to do it for any length of time. You'd have to pay massive overs forever to get the best players to png.

From what I'm reading about the PNG bid, money won't be an issue at all. This bids got huge backers with deep pockets.

But yes I agree that if they want 3, 4 or 5 Aussies in the team they will have to fork out all out money for them.

Will they go over the cap if they do that ? I don't think so, because all of the local PNG players will not be on much at all to get anywhere near the new proposed salary cap.

 

[Dazraider]

you would be surprised how many aussies would love to live and play there, there is no infrustructure like here though many people dont give a rats ass about that and the lifestyle is not as stressed like in australia, the press would treat you as god and you wouldnt be hiding cause of pesky journalist spying on you every day.
im surprised i see so many for it on here as a post i wrote about a month ago got riden off with all negative thoughts.
hope it happens one day but to be honest i really doubt it cause money rules over a life

 

[mitchpng]

Maybe you should take a look at the movie Invictus, and see what a wise man thought about what sport can do for a nation. ;-)

In the words of Nelson Mandela "Sport has the power to change the world, the power to inspire and the power to unite people in a way little else can. It is an instrument of peace". I sat with over 5,000 people at a State of Origin Match at one of many live screen sites set up by the city. It was peaceful. There was no violence. There were no arrests. We came from villages and communities all over Port Moresby. Rugby League is our national sport - we have over 6 million fans, we have a stadium about to be built and we have the govt and the resources to back it. Recently the govt announced that RL will be played in schools and part of the school curriculum. We have a great national competition - with strong players from around the nation participating. We are readying ourselves as a nation and I believe we will reach the NRL...... The NRL should be welcoming us with open arms.........or the AFL might just gazump em and take hold of the Pacific.

 

[mitchpng]

Oh, the monthly 'PNG needs a team thread'

The average person earns $1000 OZ a year, a f**king year people.

And over 85% of the country live in the rural areas, which are in the middle of mountainous terrain.

How do you propose the people of the country attend the games????

 

[Plazzy]

I can say most of the comments placed here are 100% true and constructive apart from some others. Great ideas and opinions placed by you guys. Getting a PNG team into NRL would be a very long shot. It would take time, effort, resources and an effective strategic plan to be a success. But I would say not impossible. It would involve the Papua New Guinean government, the Australian government and the NRL to make it a reality. Yes maybe we Papua New Guineans do have problems in our country, like crime, poverty, illiteracy, poor infrastructure and health care problems like any other third world countries. But the underlying fact is that the passion and love for our rugby league is unparallel and is second to none. We love our rugby league with every breath in our lives and it is part and partial of our culture. You could tell by the number of people gathering to watch a rugby league match. We would be in huge numbers to watch either the Test matches, the State of Origin, the Four Nations, the NRL or the Super League. We would still be there even if our team would be flogged by 60. We would still be there for the love of the game. Just to be there to watch the big hits, the flick passes, the size steps, the razzle dazzle, and the hussle tussle means a lot to us. If Queenslanders passion for rugby league is 110% then ours is 120%. Our passion will always be to the end. We will not be deterred by ill conceived and ill advised comments either by pure ignorance or laziness. There are far more beautiful things about this country than meets the eye. Take whatever you want but please don't take away our dream of having a NRL team from us.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

In the words of Nelson Mandela "Sport has the power to change the world, the power to inspire and the power to unite people in a way little else can. It is an instrument of peace". I sat with over 5,000 people at a State of Origin Match at one of many live screen sites set up by the city. It was peaceful. There was no violence. There were no arrests. We came from villages and communities all over Port Moresby. Rugby League is our national sport - we have over 6 million fans, we have a stadium about to be built and we have the govt and the resources to back it. Recently the govt announced that RL will be played in schools and part of the school curriculum. We have a great national competition - with strong players from around the nation participating. We are readying ourselves as a nation and I believe we will reach the NRL...... The NRL should be welcoming us with open arms.........or the AFL might just gazump em and take hold of the Pacific.

Good luck with it mate. Don't worry about the fools who knock your country and its bid. They aren't the ones making the decisions. I'm sure if the architects of the bid keep talking to the real powers that be you will get your team, eventually. I'd certainly love to see it. And they'd have plenty of fans in Australia and the rest of the world too. They'd be the most popular RL club on the planet.

 

[Thomas]

there is no infrustructure like here though many people dont give a rats ass about that

Yeah! Who needs clean drinking water. Pfft. Hospitals? Whatever! Let's have a football team!!

the lifestyle is not as stressed like in australia, the press would treat you as god and you wouldnt be hiding cause of pesky journalist spying on you every day.

You are correct. You wouldn't have pesky journalists following you. You'd have whole f**king villages of people.

Sure the bid might have some financial backing but how long will this last? The Vipers struggled in the QRL because of travel costs. It is further from Moresby to Brisbane than it is from Brisbane to Melbourne. Also hands up which players want to play in 33 degree heat?

PNG should be on the radar but only when all the issues have been sorted out. There are far more important things needed in PNG than a f**king football team.

And yes, I have been there. I go twice a year or so with work.

 

[Paul J]

A mate of mine works for the Australian Gov in Port Moresby. He reckons the natural resources boom there will see a major change in the country over the next 10 years. China, India, many countries are investing in PNG.

85% of PNG live in rural areas but the other 15% would fill their 25K cap stadium every week. Only the Broncos would have bigger avg crowds.

Everywhere he walks he's asked by the people "Blue or Maroon?" He's from Brisbane but he said he has never seen such devotion to rugby league before.

I think we should have Central Coast and Perth to make 18 teams and then Central Qld and PNG to make 20.

And i agree with the sentiment that a PNG team would be one of the greatest achievements of rugby league.

(As a side note he said there is no AFL presence there at all).

 

[mikail-eagle]

PNG should be on the radar but only when all the issues have been sorted out. There are far more important things needed in PNG than a f**king football team.

Yes there are far more important things needed up there.......But the PNG Gov & the Aussie Gov don't care about. Even David Gallop & the guys who will eventually make a decision on the bid won't care about that.

Gallops not going to say "NO"just because PNG needs to build a hospital first or a new road needs to be built from this village to this town or there has to be a new jail built her or there. All this other important things are not part of the requirements to have an NRL Team.

 

[langpark]

I don't see why they haven't been accepted in the Q Cup yet, just like the Perth Reds are doing in NSW. It's the perfect starting place.

How badly would afl love to be able to say their competition spans across 3 nations!?

 

[Timbo]

It's staggeringly irresponsible for a national government to underwrite a football team so that prima-donna players can have exorbidant salaries and on top of that fund an NRL standard stadium when they can't provide basic health and education for their own people!

This team would be a colossal disaster if it ever got off of the ground.

 

[The Observer]

Yeah! Who needs clean drinking water. Pfft. Hospitals? Whatever! Let's have a football team!!

People mount exactly the same arguments here and in many other developed nations, e.g. about government funding new sporting infrastructure (like stadium upgrades) or mega events, when money should be spend on health, roads, public transport (both heavily congested and inadequate), developing sustainable cities, water conservation and water sensitive urban design (in the world's driest continent) etc.

PNG should be on the radar but only when all the issues have been sorted out. There are far more important things needed in PNG than a f**king football team.

Again, the same argument could be made here or anywhere else. Bid proponents have argued that the team would be a positive, symbolic tool to bind communities and for nation building, to give something positive to the community. That argument might hold merit.

 

[Paul J]

It's staggeringly irresponsible for a national government to underwrite a football team so that prima-donna players can have exorbidant salaries and on top of that fund an NRL standard stadium when they can't provide basic health and education for their own people!

Those who are pro the PNG bid believe this is thinking in reverse.

A PNG NRL team would unite the nation and encourage investment in the country, on top of the massive investment already going in because of the natural resources. This investment will fund the change in the country.

The PNG Gov are about to make rugby league the compulsory sport in schools - for both boys and girls. League is like a religion there and will help move the country forward.

Thousands of Australian Gov workers live there, why can’t 25 footballers live there as well?

PNG will not be standing still, the NRL should get on board.

 

[Knownothing]

If the people of PNG were as mind-blowingly interested in RU as they are in RL, the international body of the game would be in there, pumping money in, offering international opportunities - you name it, they would be getting it. An international sevens circuit. An under twenties international tournament. Probably a place in a yearly tournament, like the 3N, soon to be the 4N (Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Argentina).


All those who believe that an independent commission appointed by the existing NRL clubs will be the answer to all the opportunities that the game has, should think about this. Where are the current clubs in all this?
What do they think? How much revenue will they forego to help and support the game in PNG? Who will fund and support an international body? What sacrifices will the current office-holders make to spread the game?


Incidentally, I am well aware of PNG's problems, I have been there several times, my sister and her husband lived and worked there some years ago. It is not a bed of roses, for sure, but it is our neighbour, a neighbour that we spend a fair bit of national money propping up.

 

[nqcowboy87]

seriously why dont you travel to png and see for yourself. seriously why this keeps getting brought up is beyond me. the country is a shambles and the fact that the government is willing to spend money on an nrl side is taking precedent over actually fixing the country is downright negligent. as red foreman would call it its a sugar packet solution

 

[Knownothing]

Thousands of Australian Gov workers live there, why can’t 25 footballers live there as well?

PNG will not be standing still, the NRL should get on board.

I doubt that thousands of Australian Government workers live there. At least, I hope not. If we assume that each worker (and their family) would cost a minimum of $100,000 each, and that there are 3000 of them, that would mean that our total aid budget goes on employing Australians. (In fact, the total cost per family would be far in excess of $100k).