PNG's back.

[Canard]

South Melbourne did base themselves out of Melbourne in 1982 and continued playing under that brand.

Didn't they want to play their away games at their South Melbourne ground?

I know you're the least informed poster on here.

But no, they did not.

 

[Jamberoo]

South Melbourne did base themselves out of Melbourne in 1982 and continued playing under that brand.

Didn't they want to play their away games at their South Melbourne ground?

Kinda sorta. It is not easy to move a whole club over one summer. They started the 1982 season as South, changed to Swans in June, then added Sydney after the season. Players had jobs and family, so could not move straight away, and asked for 12 months to make arrangements. It was never a partial relocation, it just took 12 months.

 

[Jamberoo]

I know you're the least informed poster on here.

But no, they did not.

Actually the players stayed in Melbourne and flew into Sydney for games in 1982. So his is kind of right.

 

[Canard]

Actually the players stayed in Melbourne and flew into Sydney for games in 1982. So his is kind of right.

They did not split home games between the cities, so no he was not right.

And do you think that by 83, when the players moved to Sydney they were suddenly embraced? Not for years later did they become successful off field.

It's not like Richmond players live in Richmond, or Rabbits players live in Marrickville.

It was 40 years ago, and is a stupid analogy anyway.

 

[Billythekid]

I know this thread isn’t about PNG anymore but though I’d make a comment about them anyway.

There are plenty of people who have been very negative about this from the beginning (and I maintain that it could be a huge f**king blunder) but I thought I’d talk about the positives.

For me the the focus is all on the money but I think it’s important to remember there are things besides money that can be important. The biggest for me is bringing new talent into the game. If you don’t want to end up like the AFL with a massively diluted player base you need to keep finding new junior pathways. This is a country that has rugby league as its number sport and a population anywhere between 9 and 17 million. The potential is huge.

Besides that if this does workout it will be a huge PR win for the NRL IMO. You’ll be reading all sorts of puff pieces about this and I can see a lot of neutrals really getting behind them.

 

[Canard]

I know this thread isn’t about PNG anymore but though I’d make a comment about them anyway.

There are plenty of people who have been very negative about this from the beginning (and I maintain that it could be a huge f**king blunder) but I thought I’d talk about the positives.

For me the the focus is all on the money but I think it’s important to remember there are things besides money that can be important. The biggest for me is bringing new talent into the game. If you don’t want to end up like the AFL with a massively diluted player base you need to keep finding new junior pathways. This is a country that has rugby league as its number sport and a population anywhere between 9 and 17 million. The potential is huge.

Besides that if this does workout it will be a huge PR win for the NRL IMO. You’ll be reading all sorts of puff pieces about this and I can see a lot of neutrals really getting behind them.

In the spirit of good faith, I ask

- Why aren't they producing players now?
- How long would any good PR last?

 

[Billythekid]

In the spirit of good faith, I ask

- Why aren't they producing players now?
- How long would any good PR last?

Lack of pathways to the NRL, lack of funding, difficulty getting visas, lack of interest from the NRL. It’s hard to know exactly and you’d probably be better off asking people more familiar with the situation on the ground in PNG.

As for point 2 it depends really, a long time IMO. It all depends on if the venture on the whole actually works out. I’m extremely sceptical of that but IF it does I see this being a huge PR win. I also see it being very much a fairy tale story whenever they do well.

 

[Perth Red]

Lack of pathways to the NRL, lack of funding, difficulty getting visas, lack of interest from the NRL. It’s hard to know exactly and you’d probably be better off asking people more familiar with the situation on the ground in PNG.

As for point 2 it depends really, a long time IMO. It all depends on if the venture on the whole actually works out. I’m extremely sceptical of that but IF it does I see this being a huge PR win. I also see it being very much a fairy tale story whenever they do well.

Well til the next riot stops games being played or worse, then the PR might not be so good.

it will be interesting to see if a stronger direct pathway leads to more png players in the nrl. In theory it should but it is as much about the quality of kids rl coaching at 5-15 year's as it is finding the elite kids and turning them into pros.

Hunters have hardly been a production line, in fact Perths sg ball side produced more first graders than the hunters who’ve had millions of $’s spent on them.

 

[Canard]

Lack of pathways to the NRL, lack of funding, difficulty getting visas, lack of interest from the NRL. It’s hard to know exactly and you’d probably be better off asking people more familiar with the situation on the ground in PNG.

As for point 2 it depends really, a long time IMO. It all depends on if the venture on the whole actually works out. I’m extremely sceptical of that but IF it does I see this being a huge PR win. I also see it being very much a fairy tale story whenever they do well.

It's gotta be bigger then pathways.

There are more Victorians playing in the NRL then Papaun's (far more).

And it's not stopped anyone from the Pacific region playing NRL.

Where does this club generate revenue from? And how?

 

[Jamberoo]

It's gotta be bigger then pathways.

There are more Victorians playing in the NRL then Papaun's (far more).

And it's not stopped anyone from the Pacific region playing NRL.

Where does this club generate revenue from? And how?

Storm has had a few PNG players. Just Coates and Olam left?

Don't reckon there are ‘far more’ born and bred Victorians in the NRL, even allowing for those of Pacific heritage.

 

[The Great Dane]

Lack of pathways to the NRL, lack of funding, difficulty getting visas, lack of interest from the NRL. It’s hard to know exactly and you’d probably be better off asking people more familiar with the situation on the ground in PNG.

As for point 2 it depends really, a long time IMO. It all depends on if the venture on the whole actually works out. I’m extremely sceptical of that but IF it does I see this being a huge PR win. I also see it being very much a fairy tale story whenever they do well.

They've had a direct pathway to the NRL for a decade now and produced only a single notable NRL player. If PNG was truly the El Dorado people claim it to be there'd have been guys being picked up by the NRL clubs yearly, and at least a few of them would have kicked on in the NRL by now.

And are you really sure that taxpayers funding a pro sports team in another country will be good PR during the worst cost of living crisis in decades?

I grant you that some hardcore RL fans will relish it, but I doubt that the average voter will be too happy, and if the Libs are smart it will be a major wedge issue during the next election. Furthermore directly marrying the sport to geopolitical issues of this sort is bound to backfire sooner or later.

 

[The Great Dane]

Storm has had a few PNG players. Just Coates and Olam left?

Don't reckon there are ‘far more’ born and bred Victorians in the NRL, even allowing for those of Pacific heritage.

Coates grew up in Queensland, learnt his RL here, and came through the Broncos system.

Claiming him as a PNG junior would be akin to claiming that Hazem El Masri is evidence that there's potential for a strong juniors base in Lebanon.

 

[Canard]

Storm has had a few PNG players. Just Coates and Olam left?

Don't reckon there are ‘far more’ born and bred Victorians in the NRL, even allowing for those of Pacific heritage.

Fonua Pole, Kelma Tuilagi, Greg Marzhew, Dean Ieremia, Jaymane Taunoa-Brown, Charlie Nicoll-Klokstad, Richard Kennar, Young Tonumaipea.

 

[Jamberoo]

Fonua Pole, Kelma Tuilagi, Greg Marzhew, Dean Ieremia, Jaymane Taunoa-Brown, Charlie Nicoll-Klokstad, Richard Kennar, Young Tonumaipea.

Pole born in NZ
Tuilagi born in Samoa, grew up in NZ
Marzhew born and raised NZ
Ieremia born in Samoa
Taunoa-Brown yes born here, dad is Samoan via NZ
Nicoll-Klokstad born and raised NZ
Kennar born in Samoa
Tonumaipea born in Samoa

I’ll give you Taunoa-Brown, so one, the same as the number of PNG players.

 

[Canard]

Pole born in NZ
Tuilagi born in Samoa, grew up in NZ
Marzhew born and raised NZ
Ieremia born in Samoa
Taunoa-Brown yes born here, dad is Samoan via NZ
Nicoll-Klokstad born and raised NZ
Kennar born in Samoa
Tonumaipea born in Samoa

I’ll give you Taunoa-Brown, so one, the same as the number of PNG players.

You raised born, not me.

The list above all played junior footy of some type in Melbourne.

See below bio of Richard Kennar. How could you not say he is a product of the Victorian RL system.

Kennar was born in Apia, Samoa, and moved to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia at a young age. He studied at Roxburgh Secondary College, and was then educated at Craigieburn Secondary College where he represented 2011 Australian Schoolboys.[3][4]

He played his junior rugby league for the Northern Thunder, before being signed by the Melbourne Storm.

 

[jim_57]

You raised born, not me.

The list above all played junior footy of some type in Melbourne.

See below bio of Richard Kennar. How could you not say he is a product of the Victorian RL system.

Sua Fa’alogo. Only one game so far but pretty much the same, born in Samoa raised in Victoria.

 

[Perth Red]

Pole born in NZ
Tuilagi born in Samoa, grew up in NZ
Marzhew born and raised NZ
Ieremia born in Samoa
Taunoa-Brown yes born here, dad is Samoan via NZ
Nicoll-Klokstad born and raised NZ
Kennar born in Samoa
Tonumaipea born in Samoa

I’ll give you Taunoa-Brown, so one, the same as the number of PNG players.

Surely it’s if they came through the jnr system of that area into first grade, not what passport they’ve got or where they lived till they were ten That matter? Australia’s full of kiwis and islanders that moved here as kids, doesn’t make them less of a product of the jnr system where they played rl.

 

[Billythekid]

It's gotta be bigger then pathways.

There are more Victorians playing in the NRL then Papaun's (far more).

And it's not stopped anyone from the Pacific region playing NRL.

Where does this club generate revenue from? And how?

I specifically said in my post I was talking about things besides money.

They've had a direct pathway to the NRL for a decade now and produced only a single notable NRL player. If PNG was truly the El Dorado people claim it to be there'd have been guys being picked up by the NRL clubs yearly, and at least a few of them would have kicked on in the NRL by now.

And are you really sure that taxpayers funding a pro sports team in another country will be good PR during the worst cost of living crisis in decades?

I grant you that some hardcore RL fans will relish it, but I doubt that the average voter will be too happy, and if the Libs are smart it will be a major wedge issue during the next election. Furthermore directly marrying the sport to geopolitical issues of this sort is bound to backfire sooner or later.

I’m not going to disagree with you because I’ve posted for years about why I don’t think this is a good idea. I was trying to be positive and talk about IF this expansion actually goes well. I’m not blind to the potential pitfalls.

 

[The Great Dane]

Pole born in NZ
Tuilagi born in Samoa, grew up in NZ
Marzhew born and raised NZ
Ieremia born in Samoa
Taunoa-Brown yes born here, dad is Samoan via NZ
Nicoll-Klokstad born and raised NZ
Kennar born in Samoa
Tonumaipea born in Samoa

I’ll give you Taunoa-Brown, so one, the same as the number of PNG players.

Pole, Kennar, Ieremia, and Tonumaipea were all raised in Melbourne from a young age, learnt their footy there, and are products of the Storm and/or NRLVIC system. It's ridiculous to suggest that they aren't Victorian juniors.

So that's 5 to the Hunters 1, and there've been a few other Victorian juniors in recent history as well like Mahe Fonua.

Frankly Victoria is one genuine superstar from starting to be taken seriously as a RL nursery, and the same's true of WA. It's only a matter of time and investment, and would've happened already if not for the chronic short-sightedness of the sport.

 

[mongoose]

I know this thread isn’t about PNG anymore but though I’d make a comment about them anyway.

There are plenty of people who have been very negative about this from the beginning (and I maintain that it could be a huge f**king blunder) but I thought I’d talk about the positives.

For me the the focus is all on the money but I think it’s important to remember there are things besides money that can be important. The biggest for me is bringing new talent into the game. If you don’t want to end up like the AFL with a massively diluted player base you need to keep finding new junior pathways. This is a country that has rugby league as its number sport and a population anywhere between 9 and 17 million. The potential is huge.

Besides that if this does workout it will be a huge PR win for the NRL IMO. You’ll be reading all sorts of puff pieces about this and I can see a lot of neutrals really getting behind them.

That is definitely the biggest upside of PNG, the potential player base. But the question is why haven't we seen many PNG players in the NRL so far?