PNG launches bid to become 18th NRL team

[The Future is League]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/papua-new-guinea-launches-bid-to-become-nrl-s-18th-team-20220504-p5aijn.html

[Davo5]

Got to admire their ambition but the bid really hasn’t a chance of success.

[Damien]

1 minute ago, Davo5 said:

Got to admire their ambition but the bid really hasn’t a chance of success.

Pretty much this. It just isn't going to happen when there are major, big city alternatives both in australia and NZ.

[Davo5]

2 minutes ago, Damien said:

Pretty much this. It just isn't going to happen when there are major, big city alternatives both in australia and NZ.

Yeah you have to think any 18th club would be between Perth & NZ 2.

Enticing current NRL clubs to move games to Port Moresby looks to be their only hope of seeing games in the country.

[The Future is League]

9 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Got to admire their ambition but the bid really hasn’t a chance of success.

 

7 minutes ago, Damien said:

Pretty much this. It just isn't going to happen when there are major, big city alternatives both in australia and NZ.

They possibly think with a population of nearly 9 million and Rugby League being their national sport they are in for a shout, and it really is a Rugby League mad country

[Jughead]

Think it’s a good idea to make their interest known publicly. I don’t think they’ll be club eighteen but getting the wheels in motion so that they can potentially become an NRL club in the future. 

I don’t think they have much hope and they’d need a sustained period of NRL games being held in Port Moresby before even being considered. 

[The Future is League]

5 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Yeah you have to think any 18th club would be between Perth & NZ 2.

Enticing current NRL clubs to move games to Port Moresby looks to be their only hope of seeing games in the country.

If you held a gun to my head and asked me who would be the next NRL club out of the 2 i would sat NZ.2 on the South Island, but it depends on who is the CEO of the ARL come the next bidding time and don't rule them out putting another club in Queensland

[Davo5]

14 minutes ago, The Future is League said:

 

They possibly think with a population of nearly 9 million and Rugby League being their national sport they are in for a shout, and it really is a Rugby League mad country

The trouble is neither of those will have any bearing on the decision makers at the NRL,it will all come down to $$$ and how much of it the new club can add to the pot.

[The Future is League]

2 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

The trouble is neither of those will have any bearing on the decision makers at the NRL,it will all come down to $$$ and how much of it the new club can add to the pot.

Indeed. I was pointing out what i think is there thinking

[nadera78]

30 minutes ago, The Future is League said:

 

They possibly think with a population of nearly 9 million and Rugby League being their national sport they are in for a shout, and it really is a Rugby League mad country

Sure, but 80% of the population are subsistence farmers, so they won't be buying tickets or merchandise or anything else.

The absolute priority for the PNGRFL, and the NRL for that matter, should be creating proper pathways from schoolboys through to academies to the NRL. Anything else is a pipe dream.

[Eddie]

50 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Yeah you have to think any 18th club would be between Perth & NZ 2.

Enticing current NRL clubs to move games to Port Moresby looks to be their only hope of seeing games in the country.

Hang on this is the NRL we’re talking about, another Sydney club must be high up their list. 

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Davo5 said:

Yeah you have to think any 18th club would be between Perth & NZ 2.

Enticing current NRL clubs to move games to Port Moresby looks to be their only hope of seeing games in the country.

And for that reason it will be NSW Central Coast!

[DavidM]

Personally I’d probably say a second NZ team . 

[Henson Park Old Firm]

I think this may have some legs. Especially when China is starting to rear it's head in the Pacific.

 

NRL could be the NATO of the Pacific Region

[Davo5]

15 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

And for that reason it will be NSW Central Coast!

Not so sure about that,Perth would open up a different time slot & if that proves,as seems likely to be favourable with broadcasters who might be willing to pay extra for it that would certainly put them as front runners.

[Tommygilf]

Just now, Davo5 said:

Not so sure about that,Perth would open up a different time slot & if that proves,as seems likely to be favourable with broadcasters who might be willing to pay extra for it that would certainly put them as front runners.

I know, I think there's loads of valid points to NZ2 or Perth. I just think it would be so Rugby League to have deliberated for nearly 2 decades over 2 new teams coming in and finding out that it is a second team in Brisbane and a team in Central Coast NSW...

[Eddie]

4 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Not so sure about that,Perth would open up a different time slot & if that proves,as seems likely to be favourable with broadcasters who might be willing to pay extra for it that would certainly put them as front runners.

Perth wouldn’t help away fans numbers though, and is there a train back to NSW or Queensland after the match? 

[Davo5]

3 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

I know, I think there's loads of valid points to NZ2 or Perth. I just think it would be so Rugby League to have deliberated for nearly 2 decades over 2 new teams coming in and finding out that it is a second team in Brisbane and a team in Central Coast NSW...

A second Brisbane club will ensure a game in Brisbane every week,resulting in increased revenues from sponsorship/broadcasting which is V’Landys only concern,that’s why a Perth team would be my favourite as they’d potentially add more to the NRL treasure chest than another NSW team.

[UTK]

13 minutes ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

I think this may have some legs. Especially when China is starting to rear it's head in the Pacific.

 

NRL could be the NATO of the Pacific Region

This is the real curveball that could see something as unlikely as this happening off the back of significant government funding - funding and goodwill between the NRL and the government that no other bid can scrape the surface of. 

Still, even in an ideal world where everything is financially viable the side would need a playing pool of at least 50 NRL standard PNG domestic products for the side to be competitive. Unfortunately PNG development systems are at this stage too far away from what is required to facilitate that required player pool in the short-medium term future.

A team that gets flogged by 50-100 every week would not be a good outcome for the game in PNG so we might have to be careful what we wish for here.

[Davo5]

18 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Perth wouldn’t help away fans numbers though, and is there a train back to NSW or Queensland after the match? 

Yeah the Indian Pacific,takes 3 days to Sydney & costs $2k.

[Dallas Mead]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

Perth wouldn’t help away fans numbers though, and is there a train back to NSW or Queensland after the match? 

The Leigh of the West Coast

[Anita Bath]

The time slot might be the problem.  Broadcasters are interested in the NSW market so ko in perth would need to be 5pm which rules out any thursday or friday games.

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

4 hours ago, The Future is League said:

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/papua-new-guinea-launches-bid-to-become-nrl-s-18th-team-20220504-p5aijn.html

I’d love to see an NRL team in PNG but can’t see it happening unfortunately. The Hunters haven’t had a great start to the season sitting in 12th from 14 in the Queensland Cup, but they are still above the Dolphins who will be an NRL team next year, it’s a bit different to our system of promotion and relegation, but it sure has built a strong competition in the NRL.

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, UTK said:

This is the real curveball that could see something as unlikely as this happening off the back of significant government funding - funding and goodwill between the NRL and the government that no other bid can scrape the surface of. 

Still, even in an ideal world where everything is financially viable the side would need a playing pool of at least 50 NRL standard PNG domestic products for the side to be competitive. Unfortunately PNG development systems are at this stage too far away from what is required to facilitate that required player pool in the short-medium term future.

A team that gets flogged by 50-100 every week would not be a good outcome for the game in PNG so we might have to be careful what we wish for here.

Why would they all need to be domestic products? They could have Aussies, kiwis etc playing for them too. 

[Eddie]

11 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

I’d love to see an NRL team in PNG but can’t see it happening unfortunately. The Hunters haven’t had a great start to the season sitting in 12th from 14 in the Queensland Cup, but they are still above the Dolphins who will be an NRL team next year, it’s a bit different to our system of promotion and relegation, but it sure has built a strong competition in the NRL.

You think lack of P&R has made the Bulldogs, Tigers etc stronger?