http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/n...ve-had-their-day/story-e6frfgbo-1226474525387
PNG RUGBY LEAGUE
A healthy crowd attends the PNG local grand final as the Rabaul Gurias defeated the Mendi Muruks 14-10. Picture: Channel Ten Source: The Daily Telegraph
THE ARL Commission is having problems attracting crowds to its blockbuster finals matches. As this picture shows, they aren't having such problems in Port Moresby, which recently held its local league grand final between the Rabaul Gurias and the Mendi Muruks.
The official capacity of Lloyd Robson Oval is supposed to be 10,000 people, but Adam Thompson from The Game Plan estimates there would've been 20,000 there on the day he attended.
"And about twice that outside, trying to find a way to get in," Thompson told us.
Thompson visited Papua New Guinea to learn about rugby league, and the country's bid for an NRL license,
and his report will air on the popular Network Ten program over the next two Thursdays.
"With PNG being the only country in the world that calls rugby league its national sport, I wanted to head there to find out more about their bid to one day be a part of the NRL," Thompson said.
"Before we left everyone did their very best to scare the crap out of myself and my cameraman Chris by telling us our safety would be in constant jeopardy - but it was anything but.
"Everywhere we went people were friendly and accommodating especially when they heard our Aussie accents and discovered we were there to talk about rugby league.
"When we went into a village just outside of Port Moresby, where living conditions were as tough as I have ever seen, I pulled out a football from the car and the village lit up."
As for the local grand final, the Gurias defeated the Muruks 14-10 in a high quality match.
