PNG's back.

[Colk]

Thanks for the insights of a local @mikail-eagle and apologies for any offence caused.

Completely agree regarding the Hunter’s fielding junior teams, the transition from Digicel to QLD Cup to NRL at an adult age is always going to be a massive ask for players and no surprise only one has managed it so far. Getting scouted at 17-20 would give players a better chance at making it to the top.

Whilst I don’t think PNG is the best option for team 18 I would genuinely love to see a PNG side or 2 in the NRL one day with Digicel Cup on a par with QLD & NSW Cup (and a NZ semi-pro comp as well). Hopefully PNG can keep making strides and that dream can become a reality one day.

Very well said Jim. Look if a PNG side ever makes it in the NRL it’s great for two things

1. It means that their economy has developed. That would be great for their society and in many ways a great way to connect Australia and NZ to the Pacific community

2. It would mean that they are developing talent for the wider competition and the amount of enthusiasm that they have would be a great injection to the competition. It would also mean we are a true Pacific/Oceania competition

 

[jim_57]

Very well said Jim. Look if a PNG side ever makes it in the NRL it’s great for two things

1. It means that their economy has developed. That would be great for their society and in many ways a great way to connect Australia and NZ to the Pacific community

2. It would mean that they are developing talent for the wider competition and the amount of enthusiasm that they have would be a great injection to the competition. It would also mean we are a true Pacific/Oceania competition

Agreed. I would genuinely love to see an NRL team I just can’t see it happening yet.

Doesn’t mean lot of other things can’t be done to get the ball rolling to help PNG build their local infrastructure and help players make it to the NRL and build the standard of the national team.

 

[Colk]

Agreed. I would genuinely love to see an NRL team I just can’t see it happening yet.

Doesn’t mean lot of other things can’t be done to get the ball rolling to help PNG build their local infrastructure and help players make it to the NRL and build the standard of the national team.

I think building pathways is a big thing. If there are enough people there who can financially support a club (and according to Mikail that could be the case) then that is a big tick. But it is difficult to see them attracting talent, mainly because it is hard to attract players to move from the capital cities and even more so to other countries; therefore, hopefully they see some traction in that space

 

[mikail-eagle]

Thanks mate. I didn’t mean any malice by it.

Totally agree having a PNG Under 18’s and Under 20’s and probably an academy. First things first is seeing more players from PNG playing in the NRL

Having an U18's or U20's Hunters Team would sort out the problem that they currently have, which is in the last 2 years they have stacked the side with so many younger inexperienced players who have not been able to compete against the other Teams.

Even by Digicel Cup standards 90% of the the current Hunters players are novices. I think the current average age of the team is 22 or 23. The PNGRFL changed selection criteria and is picking these very young players because they think younger players will have a better change of getting picked up by an NRL Club.

But if we already had an U18's or U20's team than NRL clubs would definitely come calling for players there already. And the QCup Team would be free to have some older heads and experienced players toi make the team more competitive like in the past years.

 

[MugaB]

I

don’t think anyone is saying everyone is poor, but clearly the majority live on a salary that is way way below the avg Australian salary. Is there enough ”middle class“ people in port moresby to sell 20k memberships at $500-1500k?
No one denies the passion for rugby league in the country, but that doesn’t pay $15mill in bills.

Sorry, but I've already seen way too many posts regarding PNG and its people being povo, so why bother putting a team there... from most of the posters here.. there's no reason for NRL not to want to try and atleast start a franchise there, even if its based in Cairns for half and half then slowly transition to 9/3 split towrads PNG, as for the 18th team maybe get Perth in first since that seems to be easier for the moment, then 2-5 years later build towards PNG and NZ2, as 19th/20th..
as Mikail pointed out too many folks painting the whole country with the same brush... and it probably would have continued here, if mikail didn't post his local views on Port Moresby... I've said this for over a year, it would be one of the biggest and ballsiest moves the NRL could ever do and increase the Player depth tremendously

 

[Perth Red]

Sorry, but I've already seen way too many posts regarding PNG and its people being povo, so why bother putting a team there... from most of the posters here.. there's no reason for NRL not to want to try and atleast start a franchise there, even if its based in Cairns for half and half then slowly transition to 9/3 split towrads PNG, as for the 18th team maybe get Perth in first since that seems to be easier for the moment, then 2-5 years later build towards PNG and NZ2, as 19th/20th..
as Mikail pointed out too many folks painting the whole country with the same brush... and it probably would have continued here, if mikail didn't post his local views on Port Moresby... I've said this for over a year, it would be one of the biggest and ballsiest moves the NRL could ever do and increase the Player depth tremendously

If the nrl were as gung ho about expansion as afl then yep I’d say go for it. It would be amazing if they could make it work. but it would require massive ongoing investment beyond the standard grant and nrl has little track record of being willing to do that. Even being based in cairns it’s going to be hard to recruit when having to fly every week.

 

[The Great Dane]

there's no reason for NRL not to want to try and atleast start a franchise there,

No reason except for the fact that it’s a good chance of bankrupting the league long before it’ll ever be capable of just breaking even independently lol.

it would be one of the biggest and ballsiest moves the NRL could ever do and increase the Player depth tremendously

No, a big ballsy move would be to look at growing in a big market capable of making big returns for the league. Somewhere like Asia, Hawaii/USA, or maybe India or ZA for example.

PNG would just be asinine romanticism run wild.

 

[The Great Dane]

If the nrl were as gung ho about expansion as afl then yep I’d say go for it. It would be amazing if they could make it work. but it would require massive ongoing investment beyond the standard grant and nrl has little track record of being willing to do that. Even being based in cairns it’s going to be hard to recruit when having to fly every week.

Okay, but if you had that sort of money and were willing to risk it, would you throw it at PNG or another country with a larger population, better GDP, and much higher average income…

PNG is a pipe dream.

 

[MugaB]

No reason except for the fact that it’s a good chance of bankrupting the league long before it’ll ever be capable of just breaking even independently lol.

No, a big ballsy move would be to look at growing in a big market capable of making big returns for the league. Somewhere like Asia, Hawaii/USA, or maybe India or ZA for example.

PNG would just be asinine romanticism run wild.

You can bank on this, if The Great Dane says its a bad idea or not gonna happen, Rugba lieg will not only do it, it will full steam ahead for it....
....spoken by PVL, ARLC chairman, canberra

 

[Perth Red]

Okay, but if you had that sort of money and were willing to risk it, would you throw it at PNG or another country with a larger population, better GDP, and much higher average income…

PNG is a pipe dream.

I think png still as would help development of players for all clubs and filling a stadium wouldn’t be an issue. Los has potential to boost int RL and one day it’d be nice to think we’d get serious about that!
With zero interest breaking into a totally new market is incredibly difficult and expensive, and really you’d need years of fta covg first To generate some level of interest.
If nrl had afl level revenue they could throw $30mill a year at png and see how it went. But they don’t, they wont and this bid should be let down now, not in 3 or 4 years when they’ve wasted lots of dosh on a pipedream.

 

[The Great Dane]

You can bank on this, if The Great Dane says its a bad idea or not gonna happen, Rugba lieg will not only do it, it will full steam ahead for it....
....spoken by PVL, ARLC chairman, canberra

It’s not my fault that RL has traditionally been run by an insular group of self serving merkins from Sydney.

It’s also not my fault that the average RL fan is a dumb merkin like you that will support their pandering BS, instead of pushing for real sustainable growth, then proceed to lament the fact that the sport isn’t as successful as the AFL.

In all honesty I’m so disgusted by the direction this sport has been going in for a while now, that I’d probably dump RL in a heartbeat if there was a viable pro alternative, other than Union, in Canberra…

 

[MugaB]

It’s not my fault that RL has traditionally been run by an insular group of self serving merkins from Sydney.

It’s also not my fault that the average RL fan is a dumb merkin like you that will support their pandering BS, instead of pushing for real sustainable growth, then proceed to lament the fact that the sport isn’t as successful as the AFL.

In all honesty I’m so disgusted by the direction this sport has been going in for a while now, that I’d probably dump RL in a heartbeat if there was a viable pro alternative, other than Union, in Canberra…

Dumb merkin, geezs thank Dane, we must be in awe of your presence and appreciate your worldly opinions.... go watch EPL

 

[The Great Dane]

Dumb merkin, geezs thank Dane, we must be in awe of your presence and appreciate your worldly opinions.... go watch EPL

I’m far past the point of caring to save people’s feelings, especially passive aggressive wankers like you.

BTW, the EPL doesn’t have a Canberran team, nor will it ever… There is however a better than good chance that Canberra will get any or all of an NBL, A-league, and AFL team in the next decade or so. So hopefully I won’t be starved for choice for too much longer.

 

[Perth Red]

I’m far past the point of caring to save peoples feelings, especially passive aggressive wankers like you.

BTW, the EPL doesn’t have a Canberran team, nor will it ever… There is however a better than good chance that Canberra will get any or all of an NBL, A-league, and AFL team in the next decade or so. So hopefully I won’t be starved for choice for too much longer.

Nbl is pretty good if you’ve got a good arena. Nights at the wildcats with 15kmscreaming fans are a lot of fun.

 

[The Great Dane]

Nbl is pretty good if you’ve got a good arena. Nights at the wildcats with 15kmscreaming fans are a lot of fun.

A return of the Cannons would definitely be my preference.

The NBL is easily the best run league in the country ATM as well, and Kestelmen and the NBL is pushing for it to happen as well. Frankly it probably would have happened before Tassie if we had an arena that met the NBL’s standards.

All we need to get it over the line is for the Feds and ACT gov to play ball when the AIS arena gets upgraded in the next few years. So it’s by no means a certainty, but it’s a good chance of happening.

 

[gordsy]

How would you stream the games, Peter Beattie's 3210 ?
They had months to get that right and f**ked it up royally.
Surely the money would be better spent on bush rugby league.

 

[MugaB]

I’m far past the point of caring to save people’s feelings, especially passive aggressive wankers like you.

BTW, the EPL doesn’t have a Canberran team, nor will it ever… There is however a better than good chance that Canberra will get any or all of an NBL, A-league, and AFL team in the next decade or so. So hopefully I won’t be starved for choice for too much longer.

Not sure i"m the passive aggressive one here, im not the one going around calling people dumb merkins, just to push an opinion... i feel we need a bit of a lie down?
As for the EPL, i just meant there is plenty of other sports to watch on TV, if your unhappy with the Nrl

 

[The Great Dane]

Not sure i"m the passive aggressive one here, im not the one going around calling people dumb merkins, just to push an opinion... i feel we need a bit of a lie down?
As for the EPL, i just meant there is plenty of other sports to watch on TV, if your unhappy with the Nrl

You obviously don’t know what passive aggressive means… And I don’t need “a lie down” (another example of you being passive aggressive wanker ironically).

I’m deadly serious when I say that, whether you realise it or not, people that hold ideas like yours actively participate in sabotaging this sport’s potential, and the sport would be better for it if you were an irrelevant minority with no influence instead of the people interested in genuine growth being the irrelevant minority.

I also made it very clear that I’m only interested in supporting a local team, and by extension the local community. In other words I’m no Eurotrash poseur.

 

[MugaB]

You obviously don’t know what passive aggressive means… And I don’t need “a lie down” (another example of you being passive aggressive wanker ironically).

I’m deadly serious when I say that, whether you realise it or not, people that hold ideas like yours actively participate in sabotaging this sport’s potential, and the sport would be better for it if you were an irrelevant minority with no influence instead of the people interested in genuine growth being the irrelevant minority.

I also made it very clear that I’m only interested in supporting a local team, and by extension the local community. In other words I’m no Eurotrash poseur.

Hehehehe by default anyone watching the EPL is automatically Eurotrash hahahaha,
Have a lie down dane, your overthinking mine and others role in the rise of the soon to be PNG side... you must think we are all are sabotaging the NRL from within, via the front row forums!!!! Shhhh guys PVL is watching

 

[The Great Dane]

Hehehehe by default anyone watching the EPL is automatically Eurotrash hahahaha,

Soccer in this country is caught in a fascinating catch-22, where they’d easily be one of the biggest codes in the country if they could just get most of the people that support European soccer to support a local team.

The problem is that those people refuse to support the A-league because it’s not of a high enough standard, but it’ll never grow to that standard without the resources that those supporters would bring. Which leaves soccer stuck spinning it’s wheels incapable of significant progress.

So yeah, your average EPL supporting wanker tends to be wannabe Eurotrash with a bad case of cultural cringe.

Have a lie down dane, your overthinking mine and others role in the rise of the soon to be PNG side... you must think we are all are sabotaging the NRL from within, via the front row forums!!!! Shhhh guys PVL is watchin

See this is you being insultingly stupid again…

I’m not over thinking anything, and your attempt to misrepresent me is laughable.