JonM Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Quite a bit going on in terms of bids to take part in next years competition - everything had to be in by Friday. Central PNG provincial government is taking over the running of the Dabaris team in the Digicel Cup and has committed to building suitable playing facilities for the team. Simbu Warriors, who sat out the past two seasons, have made a bid to re-join, off the back of a new sponsorshop deal. I think Brad Tassel has to take a lot of credit for how things are turning out in PNG with both the Hunters & the Digicel Cup - years of politics/infighting have really held RL back there. They really seem to have both government and sponsors on board as well as lots of development activity happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumbrian Mackem Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 2 hours ago, JonM said: Quite a bit going on in terms of bids to take part in next years competition - everything had to be in by Friday. Central PNG provincial government is taking over the running of the Dabaris team in the Digicel Cup and has committed to building suitable playing facilities for the team. Simbu Warriors, who sat out the past two seasons, have made a bid to re-join, off the back of a new sponsorshop deal. I think Brad Tassel has to take a lot of credit for how things are turning out in PNG with both the Hunters & the Digicel Cup - years of politics/infighting have really held RL back there. They really seem to have both government and sponsors on board as well as lots of development activity happening. If the PNGRL and the government get things right there could be an explosion of kumul talent breaking through into the NRL within the next decade that could rival kiwi players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langpark Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 For those wondering where all of PNG's teams are located... https://twitter.com/asiapacificrl/status/1358623469156462592?s=20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unapologetic pedant Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 On 08/02/2021 at 07:42, langpark said: For those wondering where all of PNG's teams are located... https://twitter.com/asiapacificrl/status/1358623469156462592?s=20 When I`ve had the map out orienting the Digicel Cup teams, the one I can`t get a handle on is Central Dabaris. The relation between Central province and Port Moresby is hard to fathom. Might be an arrangement like Washington D.C. or Australian Capital Territory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrewxi Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 I'd love this to be live streamed this year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langpark Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 1 hour ago, unapologetic pedant said: When I`ve had the map out orienting the Digicel Cup teams, the one I can`t get a handle on is Central Dabaris. The relation between Central province and Port Moresby is hard to fathom. Might be an arrangement like Washington D.C. or Australian Capital Territory. Could be. By the way PNG looks small, but some of those teams would need a full day of travel just to play a match. I had a play around on google maps, and while it can locate the places, it cannot give you estimates or routes, not even back to Port Moresby. So some of those remote parts up in the highlands especially, must have some really dodgy roads. Does anyone know what the structure is below Digicel Cup? Just a bunch of local or regional leagues? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yakstorm Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 From a Governance perspective, it is similar to the relationship between NSW and ACT. The NCD has its own governors and commission separate to Central Province, it has its own representatives in parliament and technically is considered separate. Unlike NSW & ACT, it isn't uncommon to find services relating to Central Province based in NCD, simply because where it is located within the Province. It is also where the Central Province government currently reside, although this is all being moved to Bautama, which will become the official capital of Central Province. From a Digicel Cup perspective, it makes sense having different teams representing Central and NCD separately. The NCD has a population of almost 400,000 on its own whilst there is then another 250,000 in Central. On the teams for 2021, it's a shame that the PNGNRL decided against expanding. Simbu has strong participation numbers and were in the Grand Final as recently as 2015, whilst Sepik offers a new region from the PNGRFL to discover players from, considering it has traditionally been left to soccer. 2022 bidding process should be interesting. New Ireland have stated they plan to bid next year, same with Fly River in the South West. Sepik will be back and I anticipate so will be Simbu once they give up on taking the PNGRFL to court. Bouganville is meant to be in the mix as well, though I imagine they'll possibly wait for a year with less competition to get in. PACIFIQUE TREIZE: Join the team by registering as a fan today at pacifique13.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langpark Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 This is great to see how many teams are trying to get in! Their league seems to have come a long way in recent years, in terms of organisation, let's hope that continues. I would love to see them finally become a tier 1 nation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unapologetic pedant Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 1 hour ago, langpark said: This is great to see how many teams are trying to get in! Their league seems to have come a long way in recent years, in terms of organisation, let's hope that continues. I would love to see them finally become a tier 1 nation! A lot of RL on TV is against a backdrop of empty seats. Not great promotion for the game. It`s sad that, as the current apogee of PNG club RL, the Hunters play in a comp that attracts such thin crowds. If ever The Digicel Cup became an affluent tier 1 competition, the world could see a country playing their national sport, in front of mostly packed grounds, with all the Kudos and media attention that comes with that. Plus, the multifarious nature of PNG society can intrigue and draw in those with no previous awareness of RL. I`ve noticed lots of positive interest in the Power Meri film on social media from North America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langpark Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 31 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said: A lot of RL on TV is against a backdrop of empty seats. Not great promotion for the game. It`s sad that, as the current apogee of PNG club RL, the Hunters play in a comp that attracts such thin crowds. If ever The Digicel Cup became an affluent tier 1 competition, the world could see a country playing their national sport, in front of mostly packed grounds, with all the Kudos and media attention that comes with that. Plus, the multifarious nature of PNG society can intrigue and draw in those with no previous awareness of RL. I`ve noticed lots of positive interest in the Power Meri film on social media from North America. I've always said, Leagues Clubs being the main financial backers of rugby league clubs in Australia, is the biggest blessing and also biggest curse at the same time. They are absolute cash cows that bring in a lot of money for the clubs, but by the same token, a lot of those clubs are complacent and then make zero effort to get crowds to their matches. I know a lot of Qld Cup matches that have been played in front of less than 100 people. You talk about empty seats, that would be an improvement on the sight you actually see, which is nothing, not even a hill around some of the fields. Davies Park for example, where Souths-Logan play their matches has next to nothing in the way of a grandstand. I do have to say, this is changing, very slowly, but it is changing. Redcliffe and Sunshine Coast had major stadium upgrades in recent years, which have definitely helped, and Davies Park and Browne Park (Rockhampton) are apparently next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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