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How exciting!
www.thenational.com.pg
www.businessadvantagepng.com
Yeah, I was wondering the same
That's a huge call by Michael Chammas
PNG general manager Michael Chammas declares Chiefs will be finals competitive in inaugural NRL season
The Chiefs are yet to sign a single player or even appoint a head coach, but that hasn’t stopped new PNG general manager Michael Chammas making a bold call for their inaugural season.
Sky News Chief Anchor Kieran Gilbert addressed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Port Moresby, asking what would happen with the new Papua New Guinea NRL team. Alongside the expected defence treaty signing this week, PNG were also set to enter a team into the NRL competition in 2028. “They will have the biggest junior rugby league academy right throughout PNG ... all the other teams are going to be very jealous,” Mr Albanese said. “They are aiming for one million members of the team."
New PNG Chiefs general manager Michael Chammas has declared he will build a roster strong enough for the club to compete for the finals in their inaugural season in 2028.
Chammas, a former Nine newspaper journalist who was hand-picked by ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys for the role, arrived in Port Moresby this week with lofty ambitions for the expansion club.
Chammas said identifying a coach, as well as recruitment, will be at the top of his priority list, beginning with some high-profile talent when they enter the league.
“We want to build a team that’s going to be competitive from the start,” Chammas said.
“We come in in 2028 so we’ve got 18 months, two years, to build a competitive roster.
“We want to have a lot of local flavour at the football team. And we want to have some big-name players as well to add to that.
“There’s a lot of work to do. I think there’s 750 days until our first game.
PNG Chiefs general manager of football Michael Chammas believes the club can compete for finals in their inaugural season. Picture: PNG Post-Courier
“We’ll build a very competitive team from the start.
“We’ll be ready to compete for the finals.”
The NRL’s newest franchise, the Dolphins, entered the NRL in 2023 and is still yet to have secured a finals berth.
Luring players to Papua New Guinea, where they will be housed in a resort-style compound, won’t be an easy task for Chammas.
"We Can Change the Country" — PNG Chiefs' Coach Michael Chammas
But the Chiefs head into the market with the incentive of tax-free dollars for players, effectively doubling their salaries, after an historic agreement between the NRL and the federal government.
On Thursday, Cronulla forward Toby Rudolf expressed interest in becoming their first signing.
Rudolf is unsigned beyond 2026 but has garnered interest from rival outfits.
Sharks teammate and skipper Cameron McInnes, who is also off contract, is also open to linking up with the new venture.
Toby Rudolf has declared his interest in signing for PNG. Picture: NRL Photos
Cameron McInnes has also left the door open for the move. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images
Beyond building a competitive 30-man roster, the appointment of head coach will be key.
South Sydney Wayne Bennett was mooted as an option but with Brisbane powerhouse Payne Haas to arrive at Heffron Park in 2027 it is expected the supercoach will extend his stay.
Chammas said the likes of former Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou and Leigh Leopards coach Adrian Lam will come into consideration for the role.
London Broncos coach Jason Demetriou speaks about his role at his new club, and the possibility of being apart of the PNG Chiefs as they begin in the NRL.
“There’s a lot of good coaches out there. We’ll work with the NRL to make sure we get the best coach,” Chammas said.
“There’s a lot of guys who have got connections to the area. Jason Demetriou is currently the national coach, Adrian Lam, obviously, is very well connected to Papua New Guinea.
“There’s some other coaches out there, too, who would like to coach PNG.
Michael Chammas has a lot of work ahead of him. Picture: PNG Post-Courier
“Hopefully we’ll get one really soon because the excitement is building and the people need a coach. We need to start building a football team.”
Chammas also said the addition of the Chiefs into the NRL had the ability to make a significant impact beyond rugby league.
“I came over here in October for the Prime Minister’s (XIII) game. And just to see the passion and how much it meant to the people...” Chammas said.
“Just the purpose of being here and delivering for the people of Papua New Guinea is really exciting. It’s not just a football team at the Chiefs.
“You can change the country with what we do here.
“I want this team to be a reflection of Papua New Guinea - a tough, resilient football team, and give a lot of kids here inspiration for when they grow up that they have got a pathway to the NRL.”
Pocock warns NRL’s $600m PNG push risks undermining rugby in Fiji
Former Wallabies captain turned senator David Pocock says he disagrees with the funding plan set to channel $175m into rugby league development in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.www.smh.com.au
Pocock warns NRL’s $600m PNG push risks undermining rugby in Fiji
Former Wallabies captain turned independent senator David Pocock has warned that the Australian Government’s $600 million funding package to establish an NRL team in Papua New Guinea risks undermining rugby in Fiji.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade official told a senate estimates committee in October that of the $600 million pledged by the federal government, potentially $175 million could be spent on rugby league development across Fiji, Samoa and Tonga – all countries with rich rugby union traditions but which have lacked financial resources compared with richer rugby-playing nations.
Former Wallabies captain Senator David Pocock.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
It was anticipated $250 million would be allocated to the PNG Chiefs, who will enter the NRL competition in 2028, with the remaining $350 million to be spent on “pathway development programs” for rugby league.
Out of that figure, $175 million is expected to be spent in Papua New Guinea, with the other $175 million to be shared between Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.
“For a country like Papua New Guinea, investing in rugby league makes a lot of sense,” Pocock told this masthead. “But for Pacific Island nations, and particularly Fiji – who have a gold medal in [men’s] rugby sevens [in 2016 and 2020] – this seems designed to essentially set up a talent pathway for league and just to ship players to Australia, and I strongly disagree with that.
“Where a country has a really strong history with rugby union, who do incredibly well in sevens, are super competitive with the 15s game, both in men’s and women’s – and a country like Australia, seemingly at the behest of the NRL, would do this.
The Fijian Drua have been a considerable success for men’s and women’s rugby in Fiji.Credit:Getty
“This doesn’t seem like a request from countries like Fiji. This is very much Australia saying, ‘Oh, we’re going to come and do this’.”
The Fijian Drua, who are playing their fourth season in Super Rugby and face the Waratahs in Sydney on Friday night, have been given financial support from the Australian government but on a much smaller scale, with $1.2 million of annual funding shared across their men’s and women’s programs.
Two years ago, DFAT also announced a four-year, $14.2 million investment to support high-performance rugby union across the Pacific region.
Its PacificAus Sports program also provided $18.1 million for elite sports including rugby union in the past year and its Team Up program delivered $9.45 million for grassroots sports development including in rugby.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii taking on the Drua last year in Super Rugby.Credit:Getty Images
Last Thursday, Liberal senator Jessica Collins told a senate estimates hearing the NRL were going into high schools in Fiji to try to “flip rugby union schools to rugby league,” and warned that rugby union players from Tonga, Samoa and Fiji could potentially be poached for the 13-man code.
In response, the head of DFAT’S office of the Pacific, Elizabeth Peak, stated that the government’s funding would not just benefit rugby league.
“I had heard from a number of leaders in the four countries [PNG, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga] ... they anticipate that the investments that go into rugby league will also benefit other sports,” Peak said.
“For example, if ovals are upgraded, there are many sports that will have the opportunity to utilise those ovals. If there are gyms that are invested in, that won’t just be for rugby league.”
The $600m in funding for the PNG Chiefs came about as part of the Australian government’s strategy to counter China’s influence in the Pacific.
On Monday, the Fiji Rugby Union announced it had signed an MOU with the China Rugby Association that will see talented junior players sent to study at Chinese Universities as part of an ongoing partnership.
Fiji men’s head coach and former Australian Football League star Mick Byrne has lived in the country for the last four years, previously leading the Drua, and believes rugby will continue to thrive despite the NRL’s funding push at grassroots level.
“The Dean’s Trophy [Fiji secondary schools rugby competition] gets bigger crowds than either the Drua or the national team, it’s [rugby] sort of ingrained,” Byrne said. “I don’t want to be disrespectful to rugby league, but they’ll never push rugby aside.
“Rugby league is going to grow [in Fiji], but they still have to win the hearts and minds of the people, and I think rugby is always going to have that.”
It’s not happening
He's certainly put his head on the block with that comment.
