PNG's back.

[docbrown]

All depends on where its based, who the coach is, and how quick they can recruit, the rest of the infrastructure is irrelevant, it can be built on the run, and in the dolphins case their NRL training base/barracks were built 6 months before kick off, and their own stadium has yet to be upgraded, which again can be done within a few seasons down the track..
If the rumours are true, training/base is in Cairns, and Bennett is floated to coach them, with pathways built by 2026, most home games are fifo into port moresby, and a few around the islands, its going to to be a massive ask for them to compete, but its a great way to get govt funding and pathways setup, i agree we probably wont see them come in till 2027, but what the PM wants to do is to announce it during 2025...

If you build a 30,000 seat stadium in Port Moreby, you will probably have a 30,000 average for games played there. To me though the problem isn't getting 30,000 fans to attend but keeping the other 30,000 outside from getting in. That video that circulated with the PMIII team getting on the bus is the security reality. It only takes one obsessed fan to do something stupid and/or dangerous that harms a player and you've got endless anti-NRL stories in the media. But if they build a new stadium with better security and nearby accommodation for visiting teams then it's feasible.

That said I still think they're going to struggle to attract non-PNG players to want to live in Port Moresby. It's a dangerous place. Rather than Cairns I think the NRL would be better basing them out of Brisbane. Play the 4 home games against Broncos, Cowboys, Dolphins and Titans at Lang Park. Then work out a mutual membership package with those teams and for Magic Round -- suddenly you've got 8-9 games in Brisbane against Queensland-based teams that will get large crowds. That's similar to what the Dolphins played at Lang Park this year. Then play the other 8 home games in Port Moresby.

You will get more players wanting to play for the team if they're based in Brisbane and playing 8-9 games a season in Brisbane than if they were in Cairns or Port Moresby. Under the Cairns scenario, those players are effectively on the road for every single round.

 

[Wb1234]

If you build a 30,000 seat stadium in Port Moreby, you will probably have a 30,000 average for games played there. To me though the problem isn't getting 30,000 fans to attend but keeping the other 30,000 outside from getting in. That video that circulated with the PMIII team getting on the bus is the security reality. It only takes one obsessed fan to do something stupid and/or dangerous that harms a player and you've got endless anti-NRL stories in the media. But if they build a new stadium with better security and nearby accommodation for visiting teams then it's feasible.

That said I still think they're going to struggle to attract non-PNG players to want to live in Port Moresby. It's a dangerous place. Rather than Cairns I think the NRL would be better basing them out of Brisbane. Play the 4 home games against Broncos, Cowboys, Dolphins and Titans at Lang Park. Then work out a mutual membership package with those teams and for Magic Round -- suddenly you've got 8-9 games in Brisbane against Queensland-based teams that will get large crowds. That's similar to what the Dolphins played at Lang Park this year. Then play the other 8 home games in Port Moresby.

You will get more players wanting to play for the team if they're based in Brisbane and playing 8-9 games a season in Brisbane than if they were in Cairns or Port Moresby. Under the Cairns scenario, those players are effectively on the road for every single round.

Png stadium should be 80k

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Png stadium should be 80k

The current metro area population of Port Moresby in 2023 is 410,000, a 2.5% increase from 2022.

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Metro Area Population 1950-2023

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea metro area from 1950 to 2023. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

www.macrotrends.net

 

[docbrown]

The current metro area population of Port Moresby in 2023 is 410,000, a 2.5% increase from 2022.​

​

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Metro Area Population 1950-2023

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea metro area from 1950 to 2023. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

www.macrotrends.net

That's the metro area. There's probably double that if you include people in the surrounding settlements in the NCD.

 

[Bukowski]

If you build a 30,000 seat stadium in Port Moreby, you will probably have a 30,000 average for games played there. To me though the problem isn't getting 30,000 fans to attend but keeping the other 30,000 outside from getting in. That video that circulated with the PMIII team getting on the bus is the security reality. It only takes one obsessed fan to do something stupid and/or dangerous that harms a player and you've got endless anti-NRL stories in the media. But if they build a new stadium with better security and nearby accommodation for visiting teams then it's feasible.

That said I still think they're going to struggle to attract non-PNG players to want to live in Port Moresby. It's a dangerous place. Rather than Cairns I think the NRL would be better basing them out of Brisbane. Play the 4 home games against Broncos, Cowboys, Dolphins and Titans at Lang Park. Then work out a mutual membership package with those teams and for Magic Round -- suddenly you've got 8-9 games in Brisbane against Queensland-based teams that will get large crowds. That's similar to what the Dolphins played at Lang Park this year. Then play the other 8 home games in Port Moresby.

You will get more players wanting to play for the team if they're based in Brisbane and playing 8-9 games a season in Brisbane than if they were in Cairns or Port Moresby. Under the Cairns scenario, those players are effectively on the road for every single round.

Good suggestion.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

That's the metro area. There's probably double that if you include people in the surrounding settlements in the NCD.

The PNG Hunters rely on funding from the Aus Gov to be viable in the Queensland Cup. It makes me question the financial validity of an NRL team in Port Moresby.

I cannot see an NRL club from PNG recruting Australians and New Zealanders. It'll be full of local footballers who struggle against Queensland Cup teams.

 

[docbrown]

The PNG Hunters rely on funding from the Aus Gov to be viable in the Queensland Cup. It makes me question the financial validity of an NRL team in Port Moresby.

I cannot see an NRL club from PNG recruting Australians and New Zealanders. It'll be full of local footballers who struggle against Queensland Cup teams.

If the NRL can get a bipartisan support for 10 years of full club funding from the government then it's an experiment that might be worth trying.

I also think recruitment is difficult. That's why being based in Brisbane > Cairns > Port Moresby for attracting players.

 

[jim_57]

If the NRL can get a bipartisan support for 10 years of full club funding from the government then it's an experiment that might be worth trying.

I also think recruitment is difficult. That's why being based in Brisbane > Cairns > Port Moresby for attracting players.

Sydney is probably better again. They could still travel for 10+ Port Moresby home games then have the vast majority of away games in Sydney or a bus trip away in Newcastle or Wollongong.

It should be 10 home games at least in PNG, if they can’t be based there then Sydney or Brisbane make more sense than Cairns. The Cairns mayor has played a blinder getting so much media behind his idea of it being based there, the PNG bid have never indicated any interest in it from what I’ve seen.

 

[jim_57]

Junior Kumuls V Australian Schoolboys, plenty of potential up there whether they get an NRL team or not.

 

[Brian potter]

Junior Kumuls V Australian Schoolboys, plenty of potential up there whether they get an NRL team or not.

Exactly.

although I’ve seen comments saying that the junior kumuls were aged around 20 years old and that the junior kangaroos were u18’s.

 

[Vee]

https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-expansion-rugby-leagues-role-in-soothing-simmering-geopolitical-tensions/news-story/7c035abc815df2d4475305a131be7afa

NRL Expansion: Rugby league’s role in soothing simmering geopolitical tensions​

The whispers have grown louder about rugby league’s push to help ease China’s influence in the Pacific. Now a senior federal minister outlines his plans.

Michael Carayannis
https://twitter.com/mcarayannis
September 24, 2023 - 8:00AM

Rugby league has been touted as the saviour in geopolitical tensions in the Pacific with an expanded NRL competition predicted to help minimise the growing influence of China in the region.

What seemed like an unbelievable thought bubble just months ago is now a stark reality. The Federal Government is planning to tip in millions of dollars to help fund the NRL’s expansion bid as they throw support behind PNG.

Pat Conroy, the Minister for Defence Industry, Minister for International Development and the Pacific, is playing a key part in bringing the team to life.

“We’ve made no secret of the fact of the intense geopolitical competition in the region,” Conroy said. “Rugby league is critical in deepening our relationships in the Pacific. Some would find it unusual for sport to feature that essentially. I think it’s a great opportunity.

“There is a lot of work to do with the NRL. What’s worse than PNG getting a franchise is getting one and falling over. We need a model that is sustainable.”

Conroy is in PNG and watched the PM’s XIII matches. He has trumpeted a host of government-led initiates already including a $5.5 million grant in July to help with the PNG’s NRL bid. A month later he announced alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese $7 million for the end of season Pacific Championships which feature men and women teams from Australia, New Zealand, PNG, Samoa, Cook Islands and Fiji.

More staggering though have been the suggestions that the government is prepared to give a $200 million, 10-year commitment to directly fund an 18th team.

“Those figures have not come from us,” Conroy said. “We can sell it (to the Australian people) and whenever I am on the street people see it as a no-brainer. Our security is linked with our region and us being the partner of choice for our region. Nothing can bring our two countries closer together than a rugby league team. This is a really good investment from a national point of view.”

The government is in deep discussions with the NRL. PNG is now the frontrunner to be part of an expanded competition with hopes a can be playing before 2027. PNG have a bid consortium led by former Bulldogs boss Andrew Hill and independent funding from companies in PNG which would match the richest sponsorship deals of any NRL club.

“(PNG) Prime Minister James Marape has a Nelson Mandela vision,” Conroy said. “He wants to use rugby league in the same way rugby union was used at the 1995 World Cup to unite post- apartheid in South Africa. He sees rugby league as a way of uniting a nation.”

 

[Pneuma]

https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-expansion-rugby-leagues-role-in-soothing-simmering-geopolitical-tensions/news-story/7c035abc815df2d4475305a131be7afa

NRL Expansion: Rugby league’s role in soothing simmering geopolitical tensions​

The whispers have grown louder about rugby league’s push to help ease China’s influence in the Pacific. Now a senior federal minister outlines his plans.

Michael Carayannis
https://twitter.com/mcarayannis
September 24, 2023 - 8:00AM

Rugby league has been touted as the saviour in geopolitical tensions in the Pacific with an expanded NRL competition predicted to help minimise the growing influence of China in the region.

What seemed like an unbelievable thought bubble just months ago is now a stark reality. The Federal Government is planning to tip in millions of dollars to help fund the NRL’s expansion bid as they throw support behind PNG.

Pat Conroy, the Minister for Defence Industry, Minister for International Development and the Pacific, is playing a key part in bringing the team to life.

“We’ve made no secret of the fact of the intense geopolitical competition in the region,” Conroy said. “Rugby league is critical in deepening our relationships in the Pacific. Some would find it unusual for sport to feature that essentially. I think it’s a great opportunity.

“There is a lot of work to do with the NRL. What’s worse than PNG getting a franchise is getting one and falling over. We need a model that is sustainable.”

Conroy is in PNG and watched the PM’s XIII matches. He has trumpeted a host of government-led initiates already including a $5.5 million grant in July to help with the PNG’s NRL bid. A month later he announced alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese $7 million for the end of season Pacific Championships which feature men and women teams from Australia, New Zealand, PNG, Samoa, Cook Islands and Fiji.

More staggering though have been the suggestions that the government is prepared to give a $200 million, 10-year commitment to directly fund an 18th team.

“Those figures have not come from us,” Conroy said. “We can sell it (to the Australian people) and whenever I am on the street people see it as a no-brainer. Our security is linked with our region and us being the partner of choice for our region. Nothing can bring our two countries closer together than a rugby league team. This is a really good investment from a national point of view.”

The government is in deep discussions with the NRL. PNG is now the frontrunner to be part of an expanded competition with hopes a can be playing before 2027. PNG have a bid consortium led by former Bulldogs boss Andrew Hill and independent funding from companies in PNG which would match the richest sponsorship deals of any NRL club.

“(PNG) Prime Minister James Marape has a Nelson Mandela vision,” Conroy said. “He wants to use rugby league in the same way rugby union was used at the 1995 World Cup to unite post- apartheid in South Africa. He sees rugby league as a way of uniting a nation.”

That’s a solid article. Aus Government wants a sustainable team. Pretty logical. Now for the naysayers.

 

[docbrown]

If the government isn't prepared to underwrite it for a decade in a signed contract then by definition it won't be sustainable as sponsors can withdraw their funding at a whim. This is only going to happen with long term bipartisan Australian government support.

 

[Brian potter]

If the government isn't prepared to underwrite it for a decade in a signed contract then by definition it won't be sustainable as sponsors can withdraw their funding at a whim. This is only going to happen with long term bipartisan Australian government support.

I agree but what happens after 10 years?

 

[docbrown]

Sydney is probably better again. They could still travel for 10+ Port Moresby home games then have the vast majority of away games in Sydney or a bus trip away in Newcastle or Wollongong.

It should be 10 home games at least in PNG, if they can’t be based there then Sydney or Brisbane make more sense than Cairns. The Cairns mayor has played a blinder getting so much media behind his idea of it being based there, the PNG bid have never indicated any interest in it from what I’ve seen.

From a logistics point of view Sydney is best, yes. But it'd be a brave soul arguing for a new NRL team to be based in Sydney.

 

[docbrown]

I agree but what happens after 10 years?

The government of the day will have to decide to cut funding. If they do, it may cause irreparable damage to the relationship.

 

[jim_57]

From a logistics point of view Sydney is best, yes. But it'd be a brave soul arguing for a new NRL team to be based in Sydney.

Doubt it’d get any backlash unless it’s the Bears planning to play in Sydney. Sydney would just be a training base not their target market for supporters. A FIFO PNG or Pacifika team isn’t going to win over very many if any fans in Brisbane or Cairns if they’re based there either.

 

[docbrown]

Doubt it’d get any backlash unless it’s the Bears planning to play in Sydney. Sydney would just be a training base not their target market for supporters. A FIFO PNG or Pacifika team isn’t going to win over very many if any fans in Brisbane or Cairns if they’re based there either.

It's not me you're convincing. It's the 9 other Sydney NRL clubs.

 

[Brian potter]

If the government isn't prepared to underwrite it for a decade in a signed contract then by definition it won't be sustainable as sponsors can withdraw their funding at a whim. This is only going to happen with long term bipartisan Australian government support.

Big risk to place the club in the hands of 2 here today, gone tomorrow governments of today in bo Canberra and Port Moresby,

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Big risk to place the club in the hands of 2 here today, gone tomorrow governments of today in bo Canberra and Port Moresby,

I'd rather see the game expand into New Zealand. There will never be a better opportunity to capitalise on rugby union's financial problems in Australia and New Zealand. The NZRU aren't broke, but they cannot compete with the domestic leagues from the RFU, JRU and FFR.