PNG's back.

[DIOGENES]

If it happens it will be in the treasury papers - which numerous journalists are currently going over in detail - it will be reported tonight.
Personally, I think the government is willing to do it but the NRL may say no.

 

[Canard]

The foreign aid budget is $4.5billion ish a year. $20million of it wont get specifically announced or included as NRL hasnt made a decision and its a drop in the proverbial ocean of spending in that portfolio..

If it happens it will be in the treasury papers - which numerous journalists are currently going over in detail - it will be reported tonight.
Personally, I think the government is willing to do it but the NRL may say no.

The NRL, if in agreement, would have pre-emptively announced something by now.

 

[greenBV4]

The NRL, if in agreement, would have pre-emptively announced something by now.

The nrl doing something pre-emptively?
Nah

I think it's much more on brand for vlandys to let the media find and run with something, so he can then respond with a vague comment that doesn't actually commit to anything but is just another spin on "we could, we are looking at all possibilities", and it will keep nrl expansion in the papers week after week

 

[Éamonn an Chnoic]

I know you're dumb, but Jesus.

A PNG NRL side would be totally reliant on government funding for a very long time to be sustainable.

He has provided an example where a change in government has lead to a backflip on funding for a sports project, thus showing what should be obvious everyone, but apparently isn't to many people, that a PNG side would be very risky because it'd only be a matter of time before priorities changed in government and their funding is cut.

My feeling is that people are overestimating the negatives and underestimating the positives of a PNG team.

Sponsors/Funding - the club would be playing on Australian tv for 300k-1mil viewers each week. Sponsors would not just be for PNG locals, they would probably be Australian companies selling to Australians.

The teams being terrible- PNG would fill the stadium every week regardless of their performance. It would be great to have a big drawer coming last every year (imagine Knights fans on Steroids)

no players will move there - the team might be bottom of the table for 10 years. Eventually, the local players (once they are in the weekly grind at the top level) will improve massively. Imagine the PNG national team after a few years!!!

the team might collapse in 5 years - honestly, not a huge problem (I think this is just the trauma of SL). If the team collapse, we just pick it up, put it down in QLD and think about how great it was while it lasted. No “death of RL”, no embarrassment, we tried something that was always a long shot so we would just get praise for what we achieved.

I think it would be a great thing to see, even of just for a few years

 

[The Great Dane]

My feeling is that people are overestimating the negatives and underestimating the positives of a PNG team.

Yeah well, you're feeling doesn't really mean a great deal.

Sponsors/Funding - the club would be playing on Australian tv for 300k-1mil viewers each week. Sponsors would not just be for PNG locals, they would probably be Australian companies selling to Australians.

On average Australian sponsors would much prefer sponsor sides from places where people may actually buy their products.

You're also assuming that Australian ratings would be strong for a PNG side, which may be the case, but we don't know that for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if their average ratings fell down the toilet after a few years of being consistently thrashed.

The teams being terrible- PNG would fill the stadium every week regardless of their performance. It would be great to have a big drawer coming last every year (imagine Knights fans on Steroids)

They'd have to have the lowest ticket prices in the league for the average Papuan to be able to regularly attend. So you're talking about a club that would have the highest running costs in the league by far and the lowest prices in the league, and that's simply not sustainable.

We may not like to talk about it, but it's only a matter of time before PNG's social issues become a problem and "Knights fans on steroids" turns into issues with violence.

no players will move there - the team might be bottom of the table for 10 years. Eventually, the local players (once they are in the weekly grind at the top level) will improve massively. Imagine the PNG national team after a few years!!!

10 years of finishing bottom would crush the hopes and dreams of PNG RL fans, and kill the club's image locally.

The PNG side wouldn't retain any of their best talent either. Any talent that came out of PNG would be instantly poached by one of the other NRL sides, which would also be soul crushing over time.

the team might collapse in 5 years - honestly, not a huge problem (I think this is just the trauma of SL). If the team collapse, we just pick it up, put it down in QLD and think about how great it was while it lasted. No “death of RL”, no embarrassment, we tried something that was always a long shot so we would just get praise for what we achieved.

I think it would be a great thing to see, even of just for a few years

Okay, but why take the risk of it folding when there're at least half a dozen (more if we're being honest) other expansion options that would not only be more sustainable but more lucrative as well?

It makes no commercial sense whatsoever, and we haven't even addressed a single one of the major criticisms of the PNG bid. So yeah, everybody would love to see it happen one day, but PNG isn't ready of it, the NRL isn't ready for it, and the Australian government couldn't bankroll it forever. If we did it now it'd only be a matter of time before it ended in tears, and it'd be better to avoid that.

 

[Canard]

Can someone explain to me why is getting a crowd of 20k in Port Moresby a "great thing"?

 

[Foreign Legion]

PNG strong contender to host NRL's 18th team

Australian Rugby League Commissioner Kate Jones has reportedly held discussions in Port Moresby, stirring speculation of a combined Pasifika team entering the NRL composed of players from several Pacific nations, notably Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga. According to The Advertiser, Prime...

www.2gb.com

 

[Pneuma]

PNG strong contender to host NRL's 18th team

Australian Rugby League Commissioner Kate Jones has reportedly held discussions in Port Moresby, stirring speculation of a combined Pasifika team entering the NRL composed of players from several Pacific nations, notably Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga. According to The Advertiser, Prime...

www.2gb.com

Lots of ifs buts and whens. I can’t see them being the 18th team having listened to that but 19-20 yes

 

[Angry_eel]

I knew the geo politics would bring the NRL team on the cards again

 

[Eion]

Yeah well, you're feeling doesn't really mean a great deal.

On average Australian sponsors would much prefer sponsor sides from places where people may actually buy their products.

You're also assuming that Australian ratings would be strong for a PNG side, which may be the case, but we don't know that for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if their average ratings fell down the toilet after a few years of being consistently thrashed.

They'd have to have the lowest ticket prices in the league for the average Papuan to be able to regularly attend. So you're talking about a club that would have the highest running costs in the league by far and the lowest prices in the league, and that's simply not sustainable.

We may not like to talk about it, but it's only a matter of time before PNG's social issues become a problem and "Knights fans on steroids" turns into issues with violence.

10 years of finishing bottom would crush the hopes and dreams of PNG RL fans, and kill the club's image locally.

The PNG side wouldn't retain any of their best talent either. Any talent that came out of PNG would be instantly poached by one of the other NRL sides, which would also be soul crushing over time.

Okay, but why take the risk of it folding when there're at least half a dozen (more if we're being honest) other expansion options that would not only be more sustainable but more lucrative as well?

It makes no commercial sense whatsoever, and we haven't even addressed a single one of the major criticisms of the PNG bid. So yeah, everybody would love to see it happen one day, but PNG isn't ready of it, the NRL isn't ready for it, and the Australian government couldn't bankroll it forever. If we did it now it'd only be a matter of time before it ended in tears, and it'd be better to avoid that.

The only way the NRL should even consider PNG is if there is bipartisan agreement to lock in funding for years. But that’s not happening, albo just seemed to let a brain fart out there.

It’s a nonsense.

 

[Brian potter]

PNG strong contender to host NRL's 18th team

Australian Rugby League Commissioner Kate Jones has reportedly held discussions in Port Moresby, stirring speculation of a combined Pasifika team entering the NRL composed of players from several Pacific nations, notably Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga. According to The Advertiser, Prime...

www.2gb.com

What players from Samoa and Tonga?

 

[Brian potter]

Dumbest idea in the history of Australian rugby league.

 

[Eion]

Dumbest idea in the history of Australian rugby league.

To be fair, it’s the dumbest idea in the history of politics in Australia and the NRL just seem to be trying cash in.

 

[Canard]

The Pasifika play is especially odd in terms of geo-politics.

For a start League ISN'T the Number 1 game in those countries and asking them to share a team with PNG and other PI nations is basically insulting them.

I suggest this is just the League media's new "The Bears are back" or "Anthony Mundine is serious about playing again" bullshit story that they will roll out every few years.

 

[Foreign Legion]

Dumbest idea in the history of Australian rugby league.

No,it's behind the Northern Eagles merger

 

[Colk]

Lots of ifs buts and whens. I can’t see them being the 18th team having listened to that but 19-20 yes

I get that feeling as well.

 

[Colk]

To be fair, it’s the dumbest idea in the history of politics in Australia and the NRL just seem to be trying cash in.

I doubt it.

White Australia Policy comes to mind. Selling our gold was another good one.

 

[MugaB]

The Pasifika play is especially odd in terms of geo-politics.

For a start League ISN'T the Number 1 game in those countries and asking them to share a team with PNG and other PI nations is basically insulting them.

That's the point, making it no.1 in those countries is what andrew abdo spoke about at the start of the season, its already no.1 in PNG, got just get the other islands on board... thats where the Pasifika angle is coming from =Abdo, the whole team being underwritten is Albo plan for politics sake, and PVL would love it coz its money not spent on the NRLs behalf, also it brings in young talent from those islands/PNG, I've said this a while back, they want this over the line, purely to boost the player pool acrosd the league, then they can bring in other important areas like Perth, or Vic2, NZ2 etc without worrying about stretching the competitions player base.... upside is another qld based team to boost origin further down the track, with players that might stem from the FNQ area, who might not normally ger a look in at the cowboys... hammer is good example of that

 

[Perth Red]

Pistol Pete and Abdo get a junket to Vegas, Jones gets Port Moresby, she sht out there lol.

 

[The Great Dane]

The only way the NRL should even consider PNG is if there is bipartisan agreement to lock in funding for years. But that’s not happening, albo just seemed to let a brain fart out there.

It’s a nonsense.

The Bipartisan support wouldn't last, and you'd need the funding for decades, not years. There's isn't really a way to lock in funding for that kind of time period either, and there're always get outs with this sort of thing.

People talk about the AFL wasting money on expansion, but what they spend on GWS or the Suns would be chump change compared to what would have to be thrown at a PNG NRL side just to keep them alive.