PNG 2025...

[Perth Red]

Warriors can’t attract Australian talent and can’t be successful because of it, good luck getting Australian talent to join a png club lol.

 

[MugaB]

Warriors can’t attract Australian talent and can’t be successful because of it, good luck getting Australian talent to join a png club lol.

Geez youre a downer, yet you want the PNG hunters to feed your non existent perth team... i see why there's angst here by folk, youre all about you and a perth bid, not about rugby league in general...
A country of 8 million rugby league followers, and your like Fk that, get them playing over here in WA i need my team back!!! ...Yeah well in PR

 

[Perth Red]

Geez youre a downer, yet you want the PNG hunters to feed your non existent perth team... i see why there's angst here by folk, youre all about you and a perth bid, not about rugby league in general...
A country of 8 million rugby league followers, and your like Fk that, get them playing over here in WA i need my team back!!! ...Yeah well in PR

Personal attacks again, sigh. Png system can probably produce 2-3 first graders a year. Where’s the rest coming from? it would take massive investment in grassroots in png to have a png team that was 80% plus png players. Have you seen the condition these kids play in?

Not sure if you’re just trolling or if you honestly believe that png could be in the nrl anytime in the next 30 plus years? I’m leaning on the side of troll.

 

[MugaB]

Personal attacks again, sigh. Png system can probably produce 2-3 first graders a year. Where’s the rest coming from? it would take massive investment in grassroots in png to have a png team that was 80% plus png players. Have you seen the condition these kids play in?

Not sure if you’re just trolling or if you honestly believe that png could be in the nrl anytime in the next 30 plus years? I’m leaning on the side of troll.

No trolling, same story about 2-3nrl players in Perth, if a team from Png played in the NRL there is far more playing talent than the 2-3 you mentioned, insert the fact the bid is a joint bid with cairns "Northern Pride" players aren't going to be an issue

 

[Mr Angry]

They play and are based in Queensland.

Uncle Pete V will go for that.

 

[MugaB]

They play and are based in Queensland.

Uncle Pete V will go for that.

Your god damn right he is!!!

 

[Colk]

The question about PNG is not talent and support as we all know how much potential they have in the former and how much they already have in the latter.

There are three main concerns with this bid

1. The ability of players to be recruited to the club. Unfortunately the place is not very safe and is very poor. You would need to attract players to play there at least in the beginning until such time as the playing talent reaches a level that they’re competitive in an NRL sense. Another thing is would they be able to keep the talent they do produce. If I came from a third world country and somebody offered me the same amount of money to play in Australia, I would be on the next flight over.

2. The costs involved would be enormous and more than other side in the NRL - you have to fly your team everybody week for example which is something you don’t have to factor in for any of the Sydney teams

3. Revenue - having a country full of supporters who couldn’t afford to watch a game, buy memberships or can’t watch them on TV is as useful as having not enough supporters as the end result is the same. The only way you could attend is you have very cheap tickets, especially from a currency exchange basis. Then you don’t know if PNG broadcasters could underwrite an expansion into PNG like News Limited have done for Brisbane or how Sky NZ could do for NZ?

I love your ambition on this one Mugab and I wish the NRL had an ounce of your ambition.

I think really the only way it could even remotely work would be to double the grant to PNG that they would give to other clubs (so something like $25m per year - so in essence you are talking about fluctuation in grants) a much higher salary cap ( a living allowance) and you would have to put in a draft because it would otherwise it would be nigh on impossible to attract and keep talent otherwise. Another thing is you would have to be sober about it. You would need to invest for twenty and thirty years until it can be workable. That cost would be so much more than what has ever been done by the NRL, significantly more than any other expansion option and similarly a lot more than what any other Australian sport has ever done.

 

[Perth Red]

I could just see fox or Ch9 being happy to fly their crew to png to cover games lol

 

[Colk]

I could just see fox or Ch9 being happy to fly their crew to png to cover games lol

You’re right. That’s another cost factor I didn’t consider

 

[MugaB]

The question about PNG is not talent and support as we all know how much potential they have in the former and how much they already have in the latter.

There are three main concerns with this bid

1. The ability of players to be recruited to the club. Unfortunately the place is not very safe and is very poor. You would need to attract players to play there at least in the beginning until such time as the playing talent reaches a level that they’re competitive in an NRL sense. Another thing is would they be able to keep the talent they do produce. If I came from a third world country and somebody offered me the same amount of money to play in Australia, I would be on the next flight over.

2. The costs involved would be enormous and more than other side in the NRL - you have to fly your team everybody week for example which is something you don’t have to factor in for any of the Sydney teams

3. Revenue - having a country full of supporters who couldn’t afford to watch a game, buy memberships or can’t watch them on TV is as useful as having not enough supporters as the end result is the same. The only way you could attend is you have very cheap tickets, especially from a currency exchange basis. Then you don’t know if PNG broadcasters could underwrite an expansion into PNG like News Limited have done for Brisbane or how Sky NZ could do for NZ?

I love your ambition on this one Mugab and I wish the NRL had an ounce of your ambition.

I think really the only way it could even remotely work would be to double the grant to PNG that they would give to other clubs (so something like $25m per year - so in essence you are talking about fluctuation in grants) a much higher salary cap ( a living allowance) and you would have to put in a draft because it would otherwise it would be nigh on impossible to attract and keep talent otherwise. Another thing is you would have to be sober about it. You would need to invest for twenty and thirty years until it can be workable. That cost would be so much more than what has ever been done by the NRL, significantly more than any other expansion option and similarly a lot more than what any other Australian sport has ever done.

For the 15th time colk, the bid is based in Cairns, anything to do with PNG along the lines of attracting of players is to do with Cairns being the training base and not milling around PNG, of course there is scouts at lower reserve grades, and they have the digicel cup plus the qcup hunters to draw from, but its no difference than penrith scouting talent from bathurst, dubbo, orange etc.. then housing them in Penrith, development clubs do this a lot... the games hosted in PNG will be no different to any other world cup or NRL trial they've had, usually fly in fly out, most games, security is an issue, but you can't deny a country of 8 million rugby league fans a chance at a nrl team, the hunters have been a massive inspiration to them, to have that one step further, even tho it might be a joint bid... it will the biggest thing since warriors joining in '95

 

[Colk]

Hey Mugab I think it would easily usurp anything RL has ever done in the past or probably any other Australian sport. With that in mind you have to be clear eyed about the costs and limited revenue of the bid and the length of time you have invest in it without a clear timeframe regarding when it would be financially viable

I know the bid is not based in PNG but the fact around investment is still valid.

You have to recruit and keep players - if I am a player based in Sydney why would I join a team that has to travel every week by plane? Would the security issues of PNG not worry me and potentially my family? On the other side if I currently play for them wouldn’t I be keen to play for a team in Sydney because I don’t want to travel every week

You would have to give them a higher salary cap than other teams in order to make them competitive right away

The costs for this would be massive what with travel, possible infrastructure (I know the stadium in PNG is quite good but what about other facilities like training/corporate in Cairns/PNG, scouting/development etc considering you’re covering a whole country as opposed to a region in Australia

Then lastly which is the biggest concern is where the revenue coming from. The average weekly earning in PNG is 116 kina or roughly $45 per week. The average cost of a ticket would $20-$30 per person based on a weekly average income of $1,400-$1,500. So based on these averages what are they charging a PNG local to get in? You probably could only charge somebody 2 Kina or less than a Australian dollar. So based on this your gate takings are what $20k or less when even a (very) poorly attended games would be 10-15 times that. Then you add in things like food/hospitality revenue and the difference becomes starker. That’s a heavy subsidy for an indefinite period. Then we have to worry about broadcasting revenue/costs. The broadcasters have to fly there every second week which is a heavy cost. Secondly, what broadcaster is going to pay for the introduction of this side as that is how the NRL rolls.

News Limited/FTA wouldn’t pay for this and I don’t think Sky TV would either and I don’t what the situation is with PNG but I’m going to guess that they probably don’t have as much money as the aforementioned to put on the table

Essentially the NRL have to completely change the way they operate in order for this to work. They would have to invest a lot of money over a long period of time after they’ve just put in a team for nothing more than the money they earn (so that’d a complete 360), you’d have bring in a draft or a higher salary cap so they can get players in and the NRL would need to introduce a much higher grant to them than other clubs which would obviously meet a lot of resistance.

If you really want real investment in PNG, Fiji etc why wouldn’t you just offer free places in NRL squads for players directly from PNG and the Pacific Islands. That would mean funds from NRL clubs going into those regions because clubs, in their self-interest, are incentivised to produce more NRL players from Fiji and PNG etc

 

[MugaB]

You have to recruit and keep players - if I am a player based in Sydney why would I join a team that has to travel every week by plane? Would the security issues of PNG not worry me and potentially my family? On the other side if I currently play for them wouldn’t I be keen to play for a team in Sydney because I don’t want to travel every week

How is this relevant to any other professional player/club/sport
Do you think the cowboys think, shit gotta play a team in Sydney, i gotta travel every week... wtf your just making excuses now,
The investment side of things yes, can be worrisome, but if anyone is bidding they usually have something setup, im not here boasting or making up some idea to push for a bid in PNG... there is a current bid out there, right now between cairns "northern pride" and PNG, and im saying its the better bid right now, as its in QLD, it involves a neighbouring nation, theres a new stadium on the way up there in FNQ, and its a rugby league heartland in both areas, compared to the Bears (in NSW and flimsy coz of country games/NSO idea)
Pirates/WA (juniors aren't of quality standard to the SG ball or jersey flegg
Adelaide are probably worse
NZ bids aren't alive yet the southern Orcas bid runner seems keen to go it again..
So I'm happy to see that on play out..
If im a betting man, PVL and the ARLC are keen on strengthening QLD and thus strengthening Origin the real money maker, they won't add another SEQ team, broncos are brisbane and west of that, titans are south and GC, and now Dolphins north and SC, they aren't going to add a logan or easts or ipswich...please! Thats where you get the Sydney 9 clubs issue, expansion will be areas that arent really represented but play at a level that can compete, and the Dolphins Qcup side could beat the bottom 4 NRL sides of this year. So if thats the case imagine TWO Qcup sides in an unrepresented area in PNG and to some extent FNQ, being a competitive threat from day one

 

[Perth Red]

Cairns is cowboys territory, putting another team in nq is a nuts idea. Even more so when that team is supposed to be representing another country lol. The nrl are super conservative, they are not going to be putting a team in png in my lifetime. Hunters only exist as the nrl is covering their costs. There islittle money for a png side, from tv or from corporate support or from fanbase so like Colk said it would be the nrl paying for everything with little return, aint going to happen. Wish it would though as it would be fun watching how it developed And the games in png would be something else.

realisitcally the faves for 18th club are perth, nz2 or bears somewhere. BRISBANE3 as an outsider depending on how dolphins go. Adelaide and png are pipedreams.

 

[MugaB]

Mate Cairns is a 4hour drive to Townsville, its called FAR North QLD for a reason, sorry but the cowboys aren't the Far North Queensland Cowboys, if they were that close they wouldnt have a QCup presence, anyways keep on craping on other bids, it'll get up purely coz .....PNG

THAT'S IN QUEENSLAND!!!

 

[Perth Red]

H

Mate Cairns is a 4hour drive to Townsville, its called FAR North QLD for a reason, sorry but the cowboys aren't the Far North Queensland Cowboys, if they were that close they wouldnt have a QCup presence, anyways keep on craping on other bids, it'll get up purely coz .....PNG

THAT'S IN QUEENSLAND!!!

Have you been to cairns? I have, it is most definitely cowboys country. On game night I was sat in an event area with a massive screen showing the cowboys game and it was packed with everyone in cowboys gear. It’s jnrs and Intrust club feed the cowboys, Townsville alone is not big enough to sustain an nrl club, hence why they are called North Queensland! Keep on dreaming and I’ll keep on crapping on them lol.

 

[Vee]

The investment side of things yes, can be worrisome, but if anyone is bidding they usually have something setup, im not here boasting or making up some idea to push for a bid in PNG... there is a current bid out there, right now between cairns "northern pride" and PNG, and im saying its the better bid right now, as its in QLD, it involves a neighbouring nation, theres a new stadium on the way up there in FNQ,

Link for the stadium? I live here and all I've seen is wishful thinking by several different groups who can't agree where it should go or how to make it viable. Cairns is a tourist town on its knees thanks to covid, every second shop is empty, there's no money here to fund an NRL side so unless the multinationals are going to pay for a PNG side to play in another country, I can't see it happening.

 

[Colk]

How is this relevant to any other professional player/club/sport
Do you think the cowboys think, shit gotta play a team in Sydney, i gotta travel every week... wtf your just making excuses now,
The investment side of things yes, can be worrisome, but if anyone is bidding they usually have something setup, im not here boasting or making up some idea to push for a bid in PNG... there is a current bid out there, right now between cairns "northern pride" and PNG, and im saying its the better bid right now, as its in QLD, it involves a neighbouring nation, theres a new stadium on the way up there in FNQ, and its a rugby league heartland in both areas, compared to the Bears (in NSW and flimsy coz of country games/NSO idea)
Pirates/WA (juniors aren't of quality standard to the SG ball or jersey flegg
Adelaide are probably worse
NZ bids aren't alive yet the southern Orcas bid runner seems keen to go it again..
So I'm happy to see that on play out..
If im a betting man, PVL and the ARLC are keen on strengthening QLD and thus strengthening Origin the real money maker, they won't add another SEQ team, broncos are brisbane and west of that, titans are south and GC, and now Dolphins north and SC, they aren't going to add a logan or easts or ipswich...please! Thats where you get the Sydney 9 clubs issue, expansion will be areas that arent really represented but play at a level that can compete, and the Dolphins Qcup side could beat the bottom 4 NRL sides of this year. So if thats the case imagine TWO Qcup sides in an unrepresented area in PNG and to some extent FNQ, being a competitive threat from day one

Cowboys aren’t flying every week they fly every second week and yes that would mean that the costs are higher for this bid. Take the Warriors for example - Imagine the costs that the NRL/stakeholders/Warriors would have had to outlay for the Warriors over the past couple of years. Then increase those costs because you have to factor in flights every week then increase those costs again because you have obviously house your home team at least for one night, might even be two nights depending on the time of the game (if it is a 7:30 pm game you probably would unless you want your team to get back to Cairns in the early morning! Then increase it again for pretty every away fixture because Cairns is pretty far from everything else

Then on top of all of this, PNG is a third world country; not a working class suburb; not a place that’s a little low on the socioeconomic front but a third world country. Now unless you have a billionaire who’s willing to underwrite this enterprise for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years or until such time as PNG go through a political, economic and social transformation similar to what China or India have done over the past 20 or 30 years, then anything else is a moot point. If you want to argue that a bid which is underpinned from support of people who earn on average $45 per week, nearly halfway of which earn below the global poverty line of less than 1 dollar a day, which is obviously pretty much than less than what any person in this country earns, except perhaps the homeless, then you either don’t understand basic economics and its principles(which I highly doubt because you seem intelligent) haven’t seen or experienced real poverty first hand (possible - I don’t know if you have travelled) or are so enamoured with certain aspects of the bid such as number of supporters or potential pathways that you are not seeing common sense and pragmatic analysis (most likely)

 

[MugaB]

Link for the stadium? I live here and all I've seen is wishful thinking by several different groups who can't agree where it should go or how to make it viable. Cairns is a tourist town on its knees thanks to covid, every second shop is empty, there's no money here to fund an NRL side so unless the multinationals are going to pay for a PNG side to play in another country, I can't see it happening.

Brisbane 2032 Olympic venues announced

Brisbane has been awarded the 2032 Olympic Games, with venues previously confirmed, including a re-built 50,000-capacity Gabba to be the main stadium.

www.austadiums.com

 

[Vee]

Brisbane 2032 Olympic venues announced

Brisbane has been awarded the 2032 Olympic Games, with venues previously confirmed, including a re-built 50,000-capacity Gabba to be the main stadium.

www.austadiums.com

Interesting, if it made the local news, I missed it. It currently has an excellent athletic track around it, so they will have to spend money to move that or, more likely, we'll be left with the same poor viewing ground we currently have with the front row 30m from the sideline.

 

[MugaB]

Interesting, if it made the local news, I missed it. It currently has an excellent athletic track around it, so they will have to spend money to move that or, more likely, we'll be left with the same poor viewing ground we currently have with the front row 30m from the sideline.

I'd say they will take a few years to get that stadium upto 20k, but they have said they are upgrading it