Papua New Guinea NRL side...

[AB90]

On 30/05/2024 at 05:59, gingerjon said:

I think they will have precisely zero difficulty putting together a competitive squad given the secured government money behind them if it goes ahead.

I find it bizarre that anyone would think otherwise.

A very small % of that government money will go to player wages. There is a salary cap that every team the league spends in full so you can’t just through silly money at players paying overs.

[John bird]

1 hour ago, AB90 said:

A very small % of that government money will go to player wages. There is a salary cap that every team the league spends in full so you can’t just through silly money at players paying overs.

Tax breaks for Aussie players and paying as little as possible for local kumuls will see to that.

[John bird]

Latest snag.

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=DTWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fsport%2Fnrl%2Fnrl-expansion-club-bosses-demand-more-from-possible-png-18th-team%2Fnews-story%2Fe6d1da896de90ab9d4c7a27934ea9846&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-1-NOSCORE

[Gomersall]

6 hours ago, John bird said:

Latest snag.

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=DTWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fsport%2Fnrl%2Fnrl-expansion-club-bosses-demand-more-from-possible-png-18th-team%2Fnews-story%2Fe6d1da896de90ab9d4c7a27934ea9846&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-1-NOSCORE

Without reading the article allegedly the other NRL clubs were offered $50-60 million to share between them to endorse the PNG team.

[John bird]

21 hours ago, Gomersall said:

Without reading the article allegedly the other NRL clubs were offered $50-60 million to share between them to endorse the PNG team.

And apparently they want more.

Edited June 3 by John bird

[John bird]

Kind of good news for Christchurch bid.

 

https://www.chrislynchmedia.com/news-items/mayor-phil-mauger-backs-proposal-for-nrl-team-in-christchurch/

[Damien]

Would still like NZ2 but Perth would still be a great outcome too (not the Bears and Jets part though):

 

[Pulga]

40 minutes ago, Damien said:

Would still like NZ2 but Perth would still be a great outcome too (not the Bears and Jets part though):

 

Good grief. 

Perth is good, don't get me wrong but NZ2 should have come before the Dolphins.

The Bears need to never be heard of again.

[Damien]

According to this and an article in the Daily Telegraph the PNG bid will be the 18th NRL team:

Papua New Guinea has been given the green light to host an NRL club in a new look competition, which could see the country field a side as early as 2027.

Many PNG ministers were briefed about the bid Wednesday night before kickoff of the Origin decider. The successful application has been discussed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with PNG head James Marape over the last few weeks.

Papua New Guinea chairman Wapu Sonk and chief executive Andrew Hill shared the news, which is sure to shake up the competition, which is heading towards a 20-team platform.

The target season is set for 2028, but stakeholders at PNG suggest a 2027 entry should not be ruled out. The NRL will have the final say on when the side makes its maiden season appearance.

“It’s imminent. We are tying up the loose ends now to formalise it. It’s getting near, it’s becoming a reality,” said Sonk.

“As we enter the final stages we will commence more formal discussions with the corporate sponsors.

“There have been several meetings between the Australian and PNG Governments and the NRL. We won’t be like other NRL clubs in Australia, who have their own regions. We are a country with a population of more than ten million people. Companies are queuing up to support the bid and team.

“At a minimum, we could get a million members. We will break every criteria the NRL uses, it’s crazy. Everything will be five, ten-fold. The NRL will realise it will be a very good investment.”

https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/07/18/png-locked-in-as-nrl-expansion-bid-is-confirmed/

 

[Whippet13]

https://x.com/badel_cmail/status/1814593585322598499?s=19

Looks like it will be a tax free deal for players.

Edited July 20 by Whippet13

[Damien]

19 minutes ago, Whippet13 said:

https://x.com/badel_cmail/status/1814593585322598499?s=19

Looks like it will be a tax free deal for players.

20 teams by 2030 would be great.

[Damien]

 

 

[Gomersall]

20 minutes ago, Damien said:

 

 

I’m sure some teams’ legal advisers will be watching this one closely with regard to SC implications. Whilst I appreciate they can’t do anything regarding a country’s tax laws will the accommodation come under or not come under the SC?

Edited July 21 by Gomersall

[Anita Bath]

Interesting comparison…..’living’ in Australia v ‘playing in PNG’. But the two are not mutually exclusive.

I suspect any australian signing for PNG team will be judged as resident in Australia for income tax purposes. I think the ATO threshold is 183 days in Australia between July 1 and June 30.

[Gomersall]

44 minutes ago, Anita Bath said:

Interesting comparison…..’living’ in Australia v ‘playing in PNG’. But the two are not mutually exclusive.

I suspect any australian signing for PNG team will be judged as resident in Australia for income tax purposes. I think the ATO threshold is 183 days in Australia between July 1 and June 30.

If it becomes living in Cairns or Darwin and just travelling to PNG for matches then what’s the point IMO?

[Damien]

38 minutes ago, Gomersall said:

If it becomes living in Cairns or Darwin and just travelling to PNG for matches then what’s the point IMO?

Indeed, it has to be a bona fide PNG team training and playing in PNG.

[eal]

The NRL is full of players taking less money to play for the more glamourous clubs - it is why, despite the salary cap, that the same teams are mostly down the bottom of the table each season - Wests, Gold Coast, Canberra. Any tax breaks aren't going to move the needle enough to make a PNG side competitive.

[The 4 of Us]

4 hours ago, Gomersall said:

I’m sure some teams’ legal advisers will be watching this one closely with regard to SC implications. Whilst I appreciate they can’t do anything regarding a country’s tax laws will the accommodation come under or not come under the SC?

I suspect the answer will be yes. The SC refers to the gross expenditure allowed. The tax treatment is irrelevant in the hands of the recipient. But isn’t that the whole point. Attract the talent with the tax carrot.

[Gomersall]

1 hour ago, The 4 of Us said:

I suspect the answer will be yes. The SC refers to the gross expenditure allowed. The tax treatment is irrelevant in the hands of the recipient. But isn’t that the whole point. Attract the talent with the tax carrot.

I agree but free accommodation won’t be allowable under the SC will it?

[Damien]

 

 

[Anita Bath]

I am sure the taxpayers of australia will love that.

I mean if we are going to spend taxpayers money on  a new NRL team why not Adelaide.

Well the chinese are not looking to take over Adelaide I suppose.

As a pomme immigrant whose UK superannuation is taxed by the ATO while australian super is tax free its a great way of spending what I put aside for my retirement.

Its still a country unable to stand on its own two feet and subsidised by the UK.

[gingerjon]

6 minutes ago, Anita Bath said:

I am sure the taxpayers of australia will love that.

I mean if we are going to spend taxpayers money on  a new NRL team why not Adelaide.

Well the chinese are not looking to take over Adelaide I suppose.

As a pomme immigrant whose UK superannuation is taxed by the ATO while australian super is tax free its a great way of spending what I put aside for my retirement.

Its still a country unable to stand on its own two feet and subsidised by the UK.

I was wavering before but now I think it's an excellent idea.

[JonM]

2 hours ago, Anita Bath said:

Its still a country unable to stand on its own two feet and subsidised by the UK.

I thought Australia was doing OK these days, they don't have to send their young people to work in London pubs to get hard currency any more.

[Sports Prophet]

PNG is such a big step. There is so much to prepare for a new club entry.

I wonder if the NRL have also secured the waiver from the ATO over the 183 day rule correctly highlighted by @Anita Bath.

Tax concessions aside, I am still unconvinced the club can entice enough quality players and I am further unconvinced the club is sustainable beyond the government’s original pledge.

[The Rocket]

1 hour ago, Sports Prophet said:

Tax concessions aside, I am still unconvinced the club can entice enough quality players and I am further unconvinced the club is sustainable beyond the government’s original pledge.

The NRL see the PNG team as a long-term project and there is no rush for that team to be a success, the Gov`t money will probably be guaranteed for a decade and even if after that a large chunk of the excess funding dries up they will still get their 17m NRL grant and there is a multitude of multi-national companies in that country that won`t want to see that team falter.

Crucially this gives PNG about 10 years to get their systems right and tap into the huge potential playing pool in that country, and once they get that sorted player recruitment will be solved, maybe solved for a lot of other teams as well !  Work has already started and I believe $5m a year is already being spent on pathways, $5m goes a long way in New Guinea.

The NRL aren`t doing this on a whim, they know that bringing a team from a third country into the NRL will be a very good look and only increase the NRL`s claim to be the number one sport in Australasia.

Edited August 17 by The Rocket