PNG 2025...

[Bring back John Fifita]

Ambitions from no less than the Prime Minister of PNG..

And in the article below, it infers endorsement by the Australian High Commission...

PM wants team in NRL - The National

By PARKER TAMBUA
PRIME Minister James Marape says he is eyeing the inclusion of a Papua New Guinea team in Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) in 2025.
He said that during the signing of a release agreement by Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) chairman Sandis Tsaka for the SP Hunters to be under their new board.
The signing was done after the Matthew Church-coached Hunters left the country on Sunday for Brisbane, where they will undergo a 14-day quarantine before relocating to Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast.
“We are preparing for possibility of PNG owning a team in the NRL in 2025,” Marape said.
“That is why the Hunters are becoming an entity of their own and turning into a professional outfit.
“With the Hunters relocating to Australia using their new visa, it will be also easy for them to stay in Australia and play if they secure an NRL contract.
“We can produce more Hunters and send them to Australia.”
The Australian Government, through its High Commission, also revealed that it shared the same goals as Marape and PNGRFL to see a PNG team join the NRL.
Australian High Commissioner Jon Philp also signed an agreement with PNGRFL, Queensland Rugby League and the PNG Government to help develop the game in the country.
“The prime minister and I were discussing his aspiration to see a PNG team play in the NRL in 2025 on the country’s 50th anniversary,” Philp said.
“It’s great to set some goals and PNG-Australian partnership will help you push for that.”
Marape said the release agreement was a step in the right direction as it would help PNG achieve its dream of having a team in the NRL.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Side thought from me.

I wonder how much the recent unsolicited bid by a Chinese consortium to build a "Port City" in PNG, within about 100km of Australian territories has led to the endorsement...

Strengthening PNG relations to boycott such a project.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

If PNG have their pathways setup properly, they don't need an NRL team for the national team to be a powerhouse.

Digicel Cup feeding the best players into the Hunters (who should also have an U21 team entered into the QLD Hastings Deering Colts comp) and then Visa arrangements / agreements made for the best PNG players to allow them to flood into the NRL comp.

 

[davi]

Its good for something to aim for, and good luck to them. Realistically though it's probably 20 years away from being a remote possibility. I still think longshot bids of Adelaide, Central Queensland, and Wellington would be looked at by the NRL before a team in PNG. A secound team in Brisbane and Perth are not in the longshot categories in my opinion despite the NRL procrastination on expansion.

 

[mikail-eagle]

There was an agreement signed between the two Countries on the weekend when the Prime Minister made the announcement. This should give clarity or give a bit of content as to the timing of it.

https://www.looppng.com/sport/sports-partnership-arrangement-97844

SPORTS PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

Prime Minister James Marape has signed a sports partnership agreement with Australia on Sunday.

The signing of the agreement was between Prime Minister Marape and Australian High Commissioner to PNG, Jonathan Philp after they farewelled the PNG Hunters team to Queensland.

The agreement will pave way for two technical officials, paid for by Australia to help Hunters in the areas of marketing and professional sports and career development.

Prime Minister James Marape said the level of relationship and cooperation between the two governments, at people to people level, and now in sports was getting stronger.

On the back of PNG Hunters leaving for long term residential stay in Australia, Marape said we are happy to sign the partnership in the area of sports, especially rugby league between the nations and stakeholders in sports.

Prime Minister Marape said the partnership is reaching another level for the SP PNG Hunters team to be based in Australia for up to nine months for the 2021 Queensland Cup season.

He said the agreement is made possible under visa Class 408 where the Hunters franchise is now an Australian registered entity.

He said this a pathway for PNG who want to excel in the fields of sports adding PNG wanted to ensure its elate sports personalities were able to go and live, work or play in Australia.

Marape said they want to use the Hunters as a stepping stone while exploring all other available options, which cloud be expanded to other sports as well.

But for that to happen he said we need to tidy up our local rugby league competition in the country to produce more talents for our semi-professional competition which is the pathway to the Hunters.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Its good for something to aim for, and good luck to them. Realistically though it's probably 20 years away from being a remote possibility. I still think longshot bids of Adelaide, Central Queensland, and Wellington would be looked at by the NRL before a team in PNG. A secound team in Brisbane and Perth are not in the longshot categories in my opinion despite the NRL procrastination on expansion.

I agree with a lot of this.

Seemingly like yourself I don't immediately shitcan ideas or hose them down with why I think things won't work. I think that's the simple thing to do. Moreso I like to think how could it work and what would need to be managed / overcome to ensure it succeeds.

A lot of the proposed areas for expansion all have merit to some degree, but with circumstances that need to be overcome. Eg for mine..

• Adelaide - Juniors / existing RL footprint
• Perth - Travel
• NZ2 - Warriors to be proven a success / Travel.
• Central Coast - fan-base/new eyeballs to TV
• Central Qld - as per Central Coast.
• Brisbane2 - Fanbase of new team tbc. Ie RL fans already follow other clubs.

It's not that these are reasons NOT to take on a new team, but assessing the merits and what the added value to the NRL would be in taking on a team from any of these places (and others). What team would both be able to succeed itself but also add Value to the NRL as a whole.

I do believe there is some merit closely looking at PNG at some point down the track. I do however think they would need to overcome two major circumstances akin to locations above..

Travel Costs and $AUD Revenue.

Travel costs for them will be higher than all other (current) clubs in the NRL. They would be the furthest team from Sydney - a destination they'd need to travel the most to. (That is unless a conference-type competition model is developed, which I'm open to).

The second is club Revenue. Absolutely no doubt that the team would have one of the biggest supporter bases in the NRL, and would pack out home games each and every match. However with exchange rates of the Kina to AUD you'd need to know what the club could feasibly generate in terms of Australian Dollars. Yes, this level of income is only for "PNG" revenue while that from broadcast/advertising on Fox etc would be independent for reach into Oz.


I don't pretend to be a financial or economic expert but it strikes me that this is a major obstacle for PNG, or indeed any island nation to manage. The Hunters have been around the in QLD comps since the 1990's. I don't know how this is managed in terms of travel and revenue etc but something must be managed very well for their tenure to have lasted so long. Others here may know how this is supported. And how finances may need to look for viability at NRL level (what the financial model would need to look like etc).

While I've been an advocate for Adelaide to at least be in the serious discussion of expansion, I think a PNG team would be an exciting addition to the NRL at some point in the future when the time is right. And underlying any/every bid needs to be a strong business case which fosters a progressively and ultimately sustainably successful football club - that adds Value to the NRL.

 

[King hit]

PNG is an extremely poor, violent and corrupt country with one of the most dangerous cities in the world as its capital. An estimated 70% of women there are raped. I’ve been there before it’s not a place you would like to walk alone in. And nobody would want to move there and play for them

 

[The Great Dane]

I agree with a lot of this.

Seemingly like yourself I don't immediately shitcan ideas or hose them down with why I think things won't work. I think that's the simple thing to do. Moreso I like to think how could it work and what would need to be managed / overcome to ensure it succeeds.

You can come up with fantasies about how a team on the moon might work all you like, but it won't change the fact that they are just fantasies.

An NRL team in PNG is a pipedream that unless somebody is bankrolling it at massive expense, won't be feasible for decades.
Further more, even if the NRL could find somebody to bankroll it they should still turn that offer down because they'll only be willing to eat those losses for so long before the NRL is left with a financial basket case of a club on their hands.

BTW, the Hunters have not been around since the 90s, they were formed in 2013. The Port Moresby Vipers were in the Qld Cup for a couple of years in the late 90s before pulling out because of financial pressure, and even the Hunters aren't independently sustainable having been given handouts by both the NRL and Aus Gov to keep them going.

The only reason that they are in the Qld Cup at all at this point is because they a being used a political pawn by the government to try and combat Chinese influence in the pacific, which is all well and good, but A. it isn't working, and B. as soon as there's a change in government the support will be cut.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

You can come up with fantasies about how a team on the moon might work all you like, but it won't change the fact that they are just fantasies.

An NRL team in PNG is a pipedream that unless somebody is bankrolling it at massive expense, won't be feasible for decades.
Further more, even if the NRL could find somebody to bankroll it they should still turn that offer down because they'll only be willing to eat those losses for so long before the NRL is left with a financial basket case of a club on their hands.

BTW, the Hunters have not been around since the 90s, they were formed in 2013. The Port Moresby Vipers were in the Qld Cup for a couple of years in the late 90s before pulling out because of financial pressure, and even the Hunters aren't independently sustainable having been given handouts by both the NRL and Aus Gov to keep them going.

The only reason that they are in the Qld Cup at all at this point is because they a being used a political pawn by the government to try and combat Chinese influence in the pacific, which is all well and good, but A. it isn't working, and B. as soon as there's a change in government the support will be cut.

Fancy seeing you here.

 

[Diesel]

If PNG ever come in, we need conferences and the Roosters should play in Port Moresby each year, since they travel the least of any team currently

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

If PNG ever come in, we need conferences and the Roosters should play in Port Moresby each year, since they travel the least of any team currently

Now that’s strategic thinking....

 

[The Great Dane]

Fancy seeing you here.

If you can't defend your position you shouldn't even present it.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

If you can't defend your position you shouldn't even present it.

No one needs to defend anything when you question it.

 

[The Great Dane]

No one needs to defend anything when you question it.

The refusal to address ridicule is the refusal to accept one's own fallibility.

If you can't accept that you could be wrong, then you can't learn from your mistakes.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

The refusal to address ridicule is the refusal to accept one's own fallibility.

If you can't accept that you could be wrong, then you can't learn from your mistakes.

I’ve never claimed to be right or wrong in this thread or my posts

I don’t confuse my opinions with facts. Unlike you.

I’ve not posted “a position” on whether PNG are a viable option for expansion or not. What I did do was post an article, and areas I feel they’d need to address to be considered. But you read it however your brain wants to read it.

So..

Whats my position?

Well you haven’t changed much. This “ridicule” of yours is full the same self-righteousness and self-serving misinterpretation present in previous posts you’ve chased me on in other threads.

I accept ridicule (actually I welcome it) if I’ve posted something ridiculous, claimed something as a fact when it isn’t, or it’s written in good humour. Ridicule from you is never anything related to the above. Ridicule from you is like being flogged with a wet newspaper.

You’ll only ever read things with a closed mind that you interpret in a manner to pick an argument. Actually - that’s a factual assessment not an opinion. My mistake... maybe you’ll change. I don’t know.

While it’s not a fact that you’ll write a long-winded reply to this post that helps you pump your own tyres up, while boring the tits off me and many others in this thread, I’d be highly surprised if you didn’t.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

PNG is an extremely poor, violent and corrupt country with one of the most dangerous cities in the world as its capital. An estimated 70% of women there are raped. I’ve been there before it’s not a place you would like to walk alone in. And nobody would want to move there and play for them

Did you visit or live there?

I’ve got some mates who lived there n supervised on many mine sites. Some of the stories I’ve heard were hair-raising, hilarious but they said the people were overall great. Although the mines are very much a male domain, so not to say it’s great that everywhere of course or represent the whole country.

 

[Perth Red]

As much as I would love to see png in the nrl one day it ain’t going to happen. If perth can’t get in then png hasn’t a cat in hells chance. Nrl would be much better off setting up a png elite academy system, linking it with an expansion club like perth in years to come and having a clear and direct pathway for pngs best into nrl, supports realistic expansion and overcomes dilution of talent through expansion.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Everyone is looking at this in completely the wrong way.....

Every year, the comp is going to see 8 clubs miss the finals (once we move to 18 teams, itll be 10 teams missing out). And, with this, the fans b*tch and whinge and stop turning up to watch.

Well, what if we could bring in teams that would almost permanently fill that bottom parts of the ladder and their fans are super excited just to see their team playing.

Obviously, PNG team wont be signing very many top players and they will be regular easy-beats. But they will pack out their stadium every single week and they will probably never need to worry about money; Im guessing the government might be TOO excited to help out with funding.

Seriously, imagine the wooden spooners playing their last home game in front of this

Sounds to me like the PERFECT team to add to the comp....

 

[Santino Patane]

While it’s not a fact that you’ll write a long-winded reply to this post that helps you pump your own tyres up, while boring the tits off me and many others in this thread, I’d be highly surprised if you didn’t.

Agreed

 

[MugaB]

Agreed

I second this whole-heartedly,
I too think that a PNG team would be wonderful to see, as it stands for a club that can defy expectations, yes they are a poor country, yes they have issues, but are still wanting to be viable in someway, the fact that they are in the Q-Cup already mind boggles me, and had my team not thrashed them in the NRL state championship in 2017, maybe they would be a more present threat to the current bids vying for the 17th licence, but again that NYC penrith team was mainly built off the current 1st grade side back then plus Miaka Sivo and Sione Katoa, and without Nathan Cleary mind you (even though he did play all season with them)
But the Hunters were a great side in that year, i can see a team that can make some efforts in to the competition, maybe not finals, but closer than some of the clubs who missed out last year, a coach like Shane Flanagan or Neil Henry could do wonders there with the talent steming from PNG