PNG's back.

[MugaB]

A side from the fact that it would be completely unviable economically.

They would get stomped 50+ every single game and come deadlast for a decade. Honestly look how much NZ struggles to get players to Auckland. A PNG NRL team would not look too much different from the current PNG Hunters.

I don't see much of a difference to whatever a Perth or Adelaide team would dish up, atleast the Hunters won a Qcup title a few years back prior to covid, they would be more adequate to beating most of the bottom half of the ladder at the moment

 

[jim_57]

To be honest, as cool as a PNG team would be, a Singapore team still makes more sense. Not dumb at all.

Back when Super Rugby expanded, they were tossing up between a Singaporean or Japanese team. They went with Japan, but still played three games a year in Singapore. That shows the appetite for a form of rugby exists.

The economy of Singapore is 14 times larger than that of PNG. It's the centre of so many major businesses so corporate support options would be endless. It's also in the same time zone as Perth, so creates the extra TV timeslot.

Singapore is also pretty central to ASEAN - a market of close to 700m people and an economy five times the size of Australia.

The local player base would be the only downside, but it'd be much easier convincing players to move to Singapore than Port Moresby.

Expansion in to a major Asian market isn’t any more far-fetched than Toronto was in Super League really. That didn’t work out for a number of reasons and I doubt the backing for an Asian team will magically appear any time soon, but not the most ridiculous thing to suggest could happen.

Expect an article tomorrow for the Manila Bears!

 

[Perth Red]

Expansion in to a major Asian market isn’t any more far-fetched than Toronto was in Super League really. That didn’t work out for a number of reasons and I doubt the backing for an Asian team will magically appear any time soon, but not the most ridiculous thing to suggest could happen.

Expect an article tomorrow for the Manila Bears!

Im sure if there was betting money in it Vlandys would be on it by now!

 

[LimeRick]

The timezone is an interesting aspect - two teams in that timezone would mean you could potentially schedule a late slot (say 9pm Eastern Time on Saturday night) far more frequently than with one team based in that timezone.

It's the luxury that AFL have with Perth & Freemantle in that zone, but no other sports leagues can currently match that.

Exactly, you could pretty much have a Perth and Singapore team just alternating the same time slot each week.

The AFL quite often fit the Perth teams on Sunday afternoon, but it ends up being Sunday night in the eastern states. It's a decent TV viewing time in the eastern states, but nobody wants to be at a game on Sunday night. Western teams pretty much solve that.

 

[Gardenia]

Even if they had that kind of money just lying about, and were willing to throw it at a long term expansion project, would you throw it at PNG, or would you throw it at another market where you're likely to see a larger return in a much smaller timeframe?

Let's be honest, PNG still wouldn't be in the top five even if the NRL were inclined to go down that route. That money would be headed the way of Melbourne, Adelaide, NZ etc, maybe even somewhere more exotic, long before Port Moresby got a look in.

Yes I would. For bigger reasons then NRL. we need to keep PNG happy and we have some catch up to do with another nation who has made some inroads there already who we dont want building a military base near us

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Expansion in to a major Asian market isn’t any more far-fetched than Toronto was in Super League really. That didn’t work out for a number of reasons and I doubt the backing for an Asian team will magically appear any time soon, but not the most ridiculous thing to suggest could happen.

Expect an article tomorrow for the Manila Bears!

The NBL are considering Philippines as a possible expansion area. They've had a go in Singapore.

 

[Gardenia]

but they love their rl? Some of the Poor buggers don’t have house water but I’m sure they’ll find $300 for an nrl membership and another. $150for,a jersey.

Ill sponsor a family - and send over jerseys
sure there would be plenty of others who would too

 

[The Great Dane]

Yes I would. For bigger reasons then NRL. we need to keep PNG happy and we have some catch up to do with another nation who has made some inroads there already who we dont want building a military base near us

It never works.

PNG will just play Australia/the West and China off of one another in a perverse bidding war for their support until there's either a sudden escalation in the conflict, at which point it won't matter, or either or both parties get the shits with them and stops participating.

It's what happens every time, it rarely does anything to help mitigate the initial conflict between the two powers, and historically it never prevents the broader conflict from escalating give time.

 

[The Great Dane]

The NBL are considering Philippines as a possible expansion area. They've had a go in Singapore.

It was more of a case of Singapore having a go in the NBL actually.

 

[The Great Dane]

You make some relevant points but how is the fan base in PNG and also their huge popularity amongst Aussies irrelevant? That's a great marketing and PR tool. Good PR = money.

It's not hundreds of millions of dollars a decade good PR, and it never will be.

Besides, it'd only be good PR initially. After a few seasons of struggling badly and being incapable of digging themselves of it, through no fault of their own mind you, people would very quickly start to question whether the side was a good investment of resources.

 

[Perth Red]

It's not hundreds of millions of dollars a decade good PR, and it never will be.

Besides, it'd only be good PR initially. After a few seasons of struggling badly and being incapable of digging themselves of it, through no fault of their own mind you, people would very quickly start to question whether the side was a good investment of resources.

Not to mention could you imagine the whinging from clubs and fans if PNG were getting $25mill plus a year and everyone else $15mill? It was bad enough with Storm for half that for just a few years.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

It was more of a case of Singapore having a go in the NBL actually.

I think the Slingers still play in a SE Asian league. It's a pity they didn't work out in the NBL.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I agree with pretty much everything you have said but I don’t think that Adelaide is even a consideration atm. Not saying that they shouldn’t be or that it would not work but I think a NZ 2 and a Brisbane 3 would be ahead of Adelaide

Yeah definitely well down the list but we should certainly leave a slot open to go back there eventually

 

[Vee]

How Anthony Albanese came to back PNG's bold bid to become the NRL's 18th team

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape may have been speaking on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum on Thursday. But what they said will be felt across the playing fields of the NRL and regional geopolitics.

www.abc.net.au

 

[MugaB]

How Anthony Albanese came to back PNG's bold bid to become the NRL's 18th team

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape may have been speaking on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum on Thursday. But what they said will be felt across the playing fields of the NRL and regional geopolitics.

www.abc.net.au

18th club, whose next?

Ok so with the 17th club all done and dusted this bastion of expansion debate and opinion can cast its eyes further afield and start the arguments of who should be club 18!

forums.leagueunlimited.com

 

[Perth Red]

Heck of a stretch there lol. From nrl wanting increased govt funding for grass roots in png (they already fund some) to a nrl png team that somehow will represent pacific islands as well totally funded for ever more by the Australian govt. never happening, nice to have dreams though.

 

[MugaB]

Heck of a stretch there lol. From nrl wanting increased govt funding for grass roots in png (they already fund some) to a nrl png team that somehow will represent pacific islands as well totally funded for ever more by the Australian govt. never happening, nice to have dreams though.

Dreams...... just like perth

 

[Perth Red]

Dreams...... just like perth

Well it’s going to be perth or Wellington, not png that’s for sure.

 

[Gobsmacked]

No chance of PNG getting an NRL side. No money, no ratings, no players would ever live or train there.
But...
We should definitely be looking at taking a fixture or 2 there a year.
Good publicity and good will shown for the only nation where RL is the national sport.
The origin period where sides are under strength and don't draw much of a crowd would be wise.

 

[Canard]

PNG has no revenue stream that would work for the NRL.