PNG

[SouthernRobin80]

Can anyone help me as to what the domestic scene is like in Papua New Guinea? I know they are crazy for the game and have the SP Hunters in Queensland Cup, but not much more after that?

 

Would appreciate knowing:

Standard of competition

Time of year (winter or summer)

Attendances

 

That sort of thing. Thanks in advance.

 

 

[Farmduck]

The 2016 Digicel Cup season draws is ready for circulation to franchise teams and the public.

The draws will see 20 weeks of competition, starting April 17, consisting of 16 round robin games and four weeks of finals.

Eleven teams will be competing:

Mendi Muruks, Rabaul Gurias, Agmark Gurias, Goroka Lahanis, Port Moresby Vipers, Enga Mioks, Mt Hagen Eagles, Gulf Isapea, TNA Lions, Hela Wigmen, Waghi Tumbe and Lae Snax Tigers.

[bowes]

Unless things have changed recently there's a big gap between the national league and the other leagues with there being about 30 regional leagues all sat directly below the main competition

[Farmduck]

and this is the 2nd Div pre-season comp that just finished:

 

http://www.looppng.com/content/ipatas-cup-grand-final-hype-wabag

 

PNGRL site, not always right up to date:  http://www.pngrfl.org.pg/  or their Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PNGRFL-Papua-New-Guinea-Rugby-Football-League-531057333687951/

[Farmduck]

They got 15K at last year's GF which was Rabaul Gurias (Earthquakes) v Simbu Lions. Lions are from way up in the highlands and Rabaul is on another island so it would have been a long trip for fans.

[Maximus Decimus]

I've been listening to a language course and in it the guy mentions that there is a huge variety of languages in PNG. He stresses that these are not dialects but separate languages.

 

That among many other problems must make things quite difficult. 

[Farmduck]

Yep then throw in all the dozens of islands, the mountains as high as the Alps, covered in dense jungle, the earthquakes and the volcanoes and it's amazing they can even run a national league.

 

Even so, I'm sure they can understand why Wakey and Cas won't groundshare.

[bowes]

I've been listening to a language course and in it the guy mentions that there is a huge variety of languages in PNG. He stresses that these are not dialects but separate languages.

 

That among many other problems must make things quite difficult. 

It's more than that. Something like a quarter of all the world's languages are spoken in New Guinea. Most of these languages belong to either the Trans New Guinea family (spread internally with farming) or the Austronesian language family (same as Malay, Polynesian, Filipino etc) but there are loads of small language families especially in the north or the islands off the east coast that they are struggling to work out if they're even related to each other. The languages of the western tip of New Guinea have turned out to be more closely related to the Andamanese languages (off the coast of Myanmar!) than to other New Guinean languages.

[tim2]

I watched that programme on TV about the tribes that live with big predators. They showed a tribe in remote New Guinea who catch crocodiles with their bare hands. No wonder they have no problem playing rugby league. I'm also pretty sure I spotted a kid wearing a rugby league jersey in the background.

[Farmduck]

Here's one with an old Souths jumper

 

[Lobbygobbler]

Do they play RL on the Indonesian side of New Guinea?

[Farmduck]

They've started a team recently. https://www.facebook.com/West-Papua-Warriors-915065838567883/

[deluded pom?]

I watched that programme on TV about the tribes that live with big predators. They showed a tribe in remote New Guinea who catch crocodiles with their bare hands. No wonder they have no problem playing rugby league. I'm also pretty sure I spotted a kid wearing a rugby league jersey in the background.

Every time there's a tv programme on about PNG I have to watch just to see if any locals are wearing a RL shirt. More often than not there'll be at least one. I remember watching the one where the presenter (name escapes me) was motor cycling from Sydney to Hong Kong via PNG. He had to ask the tribal elder for permission to cross their land and when the elder arrived he was wearing a Roosters' shirt.

[kiwis 13 6]

Yeah it is amazing that PNG has a semi pro national comp, when you consider all the difficulties with transport as no roads etc in Highlands, lack of infrastructure in a 3rd world country and various other difficulties. Yet NZ a 1st world country with an NRL side the NZ Warriors & 30.000 registered league players dosn;t have a modest full season, nationwide semi pro comp! 

[USRLFAN]

Yeah it is amazing that PNG has a semi pro national comp, when you consider all the difficulties with transport as no roads etc in Highlands, lack of infrastructure in a 3rd world country and various other difficulties. Yet NZ a 1st world country with an NRL side the NZ Warriors & 30.000 registered league players dosn;t have a modest full season, nationwide semi pro comp! 

 

Kiwi is the National Competition totally amateur?  I thought that the way forward for NZ would be a Wellington side in the NSW cup.  What are your thoughts Kiwi?

[bowes]

Kiwi is the National Competition totally amateur? I thought that the way forward for NZ would be a Wellington side in the NSW cup. What are your thoughts Kiwi?

The National Competition isn't a real league. It only has 4 teams and 6 games

[Copa]

For png rugby league search YouTube and you'll find domestic news reports on games. 

 

On YouTube you'll see that the grounds are tough, crowds are enthusiastic and the police are rough.

[Farmduck]

Kiwi is the National Competition totally amateur?  I thought that the way forward for NZ would be a Wellington side in the NSW cup.  What are your thoughts Kiwi?

They already have an Auckland side - NZ Warriors - in NSW Cup so bringing in another team at that level wouldn't achieve much. It would also have difficulty making $$$ sense. There would also be salary cap issues. NSW Cup doesn't exactly have a salary cap. Since each NSW Cup team is tied to a NRL team, most of the player cost is covered by the NRL Top 25 and Second-Tier caps. A Wellington team would not have access to the rising 20s players and the spare NRL squad players that NSW Cup teams have.

 

A Wellington NRL team would be a better option.

[kiwis 13 6]

Kiwi is the National Competition totally amateur?  I thought that the way forward for NZ would be a Wellington side in the NSW cup.  What are your thoughts Kiwi?

This year the NZRL premiership will be played at the end of the season between 4 regions playing each other once with a final. No prize money on offer but NZ residents side will be selected this year for the 1 st time in more than a decade. Read on another forum Canterbury Bulls may pay players an allowance doubt if other teams do. I don't think another NZ NSW cup side is a good idea, I think NZ could have it's own comp of a similar standard to the NSW & QLD cup's. Auckland club competition is currently the only comp in country with any $$$ going around and its probably a standard somewhere around the level of French elite 1 or championship 1 in UK.

 

Back on topic, The prize money was sounded pretty good for the PNG comp last year, dose anyone know what up for grabs for the winners this year?  

[Farmduck]

I know the annual Digicel sponsorship is worth $A500K and the 2015 National 9s comp had about $A7K prize money.

 

The PNGers certainly get better RL TV coverage than Brits:

 

http://news.pngfacts.com/2016/01/digicel-takes-2016-nrl-coverage-to-new.html

“Digicel through its Television station TVWAN will broadcast NRL premiership matches, State of Origin matches, the ANZAC Test, Four Nations Cup and U20 games. We will also increase our commitment to sports and the people of PNG in 2016 and will continue to broadcast the country’s premier league competition the Digicel Cup as well as the QRL Intrust Super Cup 2016 seasons,” says Mr McCarthy.

 

Apart from being the official and exclusive broadcaster of 2016 NRL season, Digicel PNG will continue to look into ways on how they can telecast the season all around the country at an affordable rate.

 

“In 2016 Papua New Guineans will be able to enjoy rugby league in more ways than simply watching the games. The 7 City Plan called “NRL in the Park” will be an outdoor cinematic event open to the public in 7 of the country’s major townships that will involve the Governors of the designated provinces and will feature local rugby league heroes, local entertainers and NRL highlights,” adds Mr McCarthy.

[JonM]

 

Even so, I'm sure they can understand why Wakey and Cas won't groundshare.

 

Hmm. Barely out of the stone age, languages incomprehensible to outsiders, primitive stadia, crowd trouble, I see where you're going with this. 

 

I was just watching a video featuring Anna Frost, the ultra-runner from NZ, in which she goes to the PNG Highlands, where she lived as a child, and there are quite a few RL jerseys on display. People obviously put on their best clothes for the camera. 

 

http://runningtv.salomon.com/#!en/episodes/paradise-lost

[robins up north]

and this is the 2nd Div pre-season comp that just finished:

 

http://www.looppng.com/content/ipatas-cup-grand-final-hype-wabag

 

PNGRL site, not always right up to date:  http://www.pngrfl.org.pg/  or their Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PNGRFL-Papua-New-Guinea-Rugby-Football-League-531057333687951/

 

Thanks for the ifo and links could never find links to the Kumuls.

[bowes]

They already have an Auckland side - NZ Warriors - in NSW Cup so bringing in another team at that level wouldn't achieve much. It would also have difficulty making $$$ sense. There would also be salary cap issues. NSW Cup doesn't exactly have a salary cap. Since each NSW Cup team is tied to a NRL team, most of the player cost is covered by the NRL Top 25 and Second-Tier caps. A Wellington team would not have access to the rising 20s players and the spare NRL squad players that NSW Cup teams have.

A Wellington NRL team would be a better option.

Given that apart from a few token games at the end of the season there's no rugby league in Wellington above the local city league I can see plenty of point. Probably as a stepping stone to the NRL though

[USRLFAN]

Thanks for the reply Kiwi!

 

They already have an Auckland side - NZ Warriors - in NSW Cup so bringing in another team at that level wouldn't achieve much. It would also have difficulty making $$$ sense. There would also be salary cap issues. NSW Cup doesn't exactly have a salary cap. Since each NSW Cup team is tied to a NRL team, most of the player cost is covered by the NRL Top 25 and Second-Tier caps. A Wellington team would not have access to the rising 20s players and the spare NRL squad players that NSW Cup teams have.

 

A Wellington NRL team would be a better option.

 

Ducky I was thinking that the Wellington side would the replace the Auckland side in the NSW cup and be the feeder club like how the Vulcans were, and how the bears are for the rabbitohs. Wellington is close enough to Auckland that I don't think travel would be an issue. And therefore the footprint of the NRL and great RL would be extended across the North island.   Why have the feeder club be in Auckland like it is now and have little to no impact or following.  In addition I think this is a model that all NRL teams should follow. All of their feeder clubs should play out or a different local then the big club and have a different moniker.  To spread their footprint and give other cities a team they could identify with.  This would make it similar to MLB which has an amazing farm system.

[kiwis 13 6]

Thanks for the reply Kiwi!

 

 

Ducky I was thinking that the Wellington side would the replace the Auckland side in the NSW cup and be the feeder club like how the Vulcans were, and how the bears are for the rabbitohs. Wellington is close enough to Auckland that I don't think travel would be an issue. And therefore the footprint of the NRL and great RL would be extended across the North island.   Why have the feeder club be in Auckland like it is now and have little to no impact or following.  In addition I think this is a model that all NRL teams should follow. All of their feeder clubs should play out or a different local then the big club and have a different moniker.  To spread their footprint and give other cities a team they could identify with.  This would make it similar to MLB which has an amazing farm system.

Auckland and Wellington are 700kms from each other its an 8 hour drive without stops. Flight time is just over an hour. not exactly practical.