Oz Govt support for PNG NRL bid

[Copa]

15 hours ago, JonNgog said:

And PNG are currently 12th in the Queensland Cup… I would expect them to be dominating that competition before even considering them as a prospect for the NRL. I can’t see any overseas players wanting to live in Port Moresby.

Plenty of non-png players would live in png for the chance to play in the NRL. If someone trained their whole life to get into the nrl and a PNG team made an offer, they’d more than likely take up the offer. Heaps of foreigners live in PNG for career opportunities.

The situation may be different for established star players, but if the money is good, they’d be tempted.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Copa

[Havenlad80]

2 hours ago, The Future is League said:

That would be feasible in my opinion

100% as long as it doesn’t become a 50-50 joint venture between PNG and cairns with “home” games split between cairns and PNG.

Having said all that I’m still not convinced it’s a good idea and I’m not a fan.

[Havenlad80]

24 minutes ago, Copa said:

Plenty of non-png players would live in png for the chance to play in the NRL. If someone trained their whole life to get into the nrl and a PNG team made an offer, they’d more than likely take up the offer. Heaps of foreigners live in PNG for career opportunities.

The situation may be different for established star players, but if the money is good, they’d be tempted.

What standard of players though?

fringe squad players and young players coming out of the reserve grade competitions maybe.

[eal]

Port Moresby is a sh*thole, nobody would go there. Auckland has a tough enough time recruiting players, can you imagine getting guys to live in Port Moresby where players would have to stay in a guarded compound and never venture out except for work?

[Sports Prophet]

15 hours ago, Havenlad80 said:

This competition would lose so much money that it doesn’t bear thinking about.

better to stick with the hunters and a possible 2nd png based Queensland cup team from Lae alongside junior teams at u19&u21 level competing in the junior Queensland cup competitions.

Cheaper than underwriting an NRL team and a drop in the ocean for dimplomacy funding. I have been a strong advocate of another second tier Pacific Cup alongside NSW and Qld Cups. 

[Sports Prophet]

7 hours ago, eal said:

Port Moresby is a sh*thole, nobody would go there. Auckland has a tough enough time recruiting players, can you imagine getting guys to live in Port Moresby where players would have to stay in a guarded compound and never venture out except for work?

Exactly. I’ve said it before and say it again, there is no chance PNG could attract quality imports. Anyone who thinks players would go there are dreaming.

As for a PNG team based in Cairns. What a ridiculous idea. Almost as bad as the suggested Pan Pacific NRL team based in Cairns. Both are uncultured, stupid white man ideas.

[Havenlad80]

11 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

Cheaper than underwriting an NRL team and a drop in the ocean for dimplomacy funding. I have been a strong advocate of another second tier Pacific Cup alongside NSW and Qld Cups. 

Why create another second tier competition when there is already 2 established ones ?

hunters and a 2nd png team based in Lae in the Queensland cup and the Fijian kaiviti silktails in the NSW cup.

also get the pacifique treize team representing New Caledonian, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and French Polynesia up and running again.

[Sports Prophet]

2 hours ago, Havenlad80 said:

Why create another second tier competition when there is already 2 established ones ?

hunters and a 2nd png team based in Lae in the Queensland cup and the Fijian kaiviti silktails in the NSW cup.

also get the pacifique treize team representing New Caledonian, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and French Polynesia up and running again.

1. Because the government is looking to use sport as a soft diplomacy measure. This idea offers a wider scope across the Pacific than simply underwriting a PNG team does and it would come in cheaper. Especially if it was to combine diplomatic interests with other friendly nations in the region like USA, NZ and France.

2. Because there is an abundance of highly skilled but under coached talent in the likes of Tonga, Samoa, Lae and Sth NZ which are not supported with a pathway under the Hunters and Silktails model.

3. A Pacific Cup gives each new team an entry level standard competition, rather than pitching new teams against opposing clubs with long established professional pathways.

4. A Pacific Cup also presents itself as an opportunity for the NRL to dominate Rugby interests in the entire Pacific.

 

[Anita Bath]

On 01/08/2023 at 13:42, eal said:

Port Moresby is a sh*thole, nobody would go there. Auckland has a tough enough time recruiting players, can you imagine getting guys to live in Port Moresby where players would have to stay in a guarded compound and never venture out except for work?

Sounds a bit like Brisbane during the pandemic!

[Pulga]

From this podcast starting from 15:00 it looks like PNG might be the next expansion.

 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/51oYHk7wRD718vaptd1DNr?si=0eujKY9TSiyiwZHnZNxvnQ

[Copa]

On 14/08/2023 at 19:27, Pulga said:

From this podcast starting from 15:00 it looks like PNG might be the next expansion.

 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/51oYHk7wRD718vaptd1DNr?si=0eujKY9TSiyiwZHnZNxvnQ

It starts at around 22:30. He said they are working with the federal government and that the Australian government will help invest in png rugby league to ensure png are culturally linked to Australia and not some other country in the world (ie China). No mention of an nrl team though but it looks like some great investment is on the way.

Edited August 17, 2023 by Copa

[Cheadle Leyther]

As a Leigh fan, should I be worried if PNG get the franchise for 2025?

Adrian Lam to be coach, Lachlan scrum half and Edwin hooker.

[GeordieSaint]

Genuinely exciting for PNG rugby moving forward but probably a bit optimistic right now for a NRL team. Definitely Perth and NZ 2nd team should be the initial choices followed by a PNG side. 

Concurrently, you want to be looking at Samoan and Tongan side in the Queensland and NSW competitions to lock their interest into the game for the long term - makes sense geopolitically and more importantly, to challenge the sports rivals in the region. 

[Havenlad80]

On 17/08/2023 at 10:44, Cheadle Leyther said:

As a Leigh fan, should I be worried if PNG get the franchise for 2025?

Adrian Lam to be coach, Lachlan scrum half and Edwin hooker.

Don’t think the NRL will be expanding to 18 teams until 2027 when the current tv deal runs out.

[Havenlad80]

On 17/08/2023 at 10:54, GeordieSaint said:

Genuinely exciting for PNG rugby moving forward but probably a bit optimistic right now for a NRL team. Definitely Perth and NZ 2nd team should be the initial choices followed by a PNG side. 

Concurrently, you want to be looking at Samoan and Tongan side in the Queensland and NSW competitions to lock their interest into the game for the long term - makes sense geopolitically and more importantly, to challenge the sports rivals in the region. 

Current short-term plan for PNGRL should be the introduction of hunters u18’s&u20’s junior teams entering the Queensland youth competitions.

id also be seriously looked at adding a 2nd PNG team to the Queensland cup from Lae to represent the eastern and highlands regions of PNG.

[eal]

A better investment would be the Australian government funding a professional domestic RL league in PNG. The idea of NRL players living in Port Moresby is the stuff of fantasy, it is a country with the second highest crime rate in the world and little to no entertainment options for players outside of work. 

[Havenlad80]

7 minutes ago, eal said:

A better investment would be the Australian government funding a professional domestic RL league in PNG. The idea of NRL players living in Port Moresby is the stuff of fantasy, it is a country with the second highest crime rate in the world and little to no entertainment options for players outside of work. 

There’s already the semi-professional digicel cup competition in PNG.

PNG rugby league players need to be exposed to a higher grade of RL in order to develop and progress.

[Anita Bath]

1 hour ago, eal said:

A better investment would be the Australian government funding a professional domestic RL league in PNG. The idea of NRL players living in Port Moresby is the stuff of fantasy, it is a country with the second highest crime rate in the world and little to no entertainment options for players outside of work. 

This wouldnt prevent them signing players….but the players likely to sign would be those with few or any other options. More likely to be a club who are based in Australia and fly in to play home games ( a la the Toronto (Leigh) Wolfpack.

[Damien]

I put this link on the Vegas thread but V'Landys also talks about expansion too (after the Vegas talk). I do like his talk about 20 teams and it does sound like this is the goal sooner rather than later. He also doesn't rule out dropping in 2 or 3 teams at one go. A 20 team NRL would be phenomenal:

https://omny.fm/shows/dead-set-legends-queensland/bonus-peter-vlandys

 

[DlEHARD]

It's wonderful that we are headed to a 20 team comp.

I don't know how you fit in PNG, Perth, NZ2 and Brisbane South/Logan/Ipswich/Toowoomba into 2o though.

[GeordieSaint]

6 minutes ago, DlEHARD said:

It's wonderful that we are headed to a 20 team comp.

I don't know how you fit in PNG, Perth, NZ2 and Brisbane South/Logan/Ipswich/Toowoomba into 2o though.

Bin a Sydney club…

How realistic is another Brisbane/Queensland side? 

[Damien]

10 minutes ago, DlEHARD said:

It's wonderful that we are headed to a 20 team comp.

I don't know how you fit in PNG, Perth, NZ2 and Brisbane South/Logan/Ipswich/Toowoomba into 2o though.

I think there's probably plenty of scope to go to 22 and have everyone playing each other once. I think 20 should fit in the stronger and more strategic candidates like Perth, NZ2 and maybe another Queensland team. These would all boost the TV deal in different ways and should fund themselves. They also spread the risk between expansion and some strong existing player pools.

I've always thought PNG was pie in the sky but if the funding is there and its cost free then that may well propel them into the 20 too. If the goodwill is there and guaranteed then the NRL should take advantage. Then add Adelaide, who will take more work, to those and that is a true nationwide 22.

Considering where RL was a decade ago though 20 in the shorter term would be great though.

Edited August 19, 2023 by Damien

[Havenlad80]

4 hours ago, GeordieSaint said:

Bin a Sydney club…

How realistic is another Brisbane/Queensland side? 

Or relocate 1 or 2 Sydney clubs. The NRL should seriously consider either breaking up the basket case merged west tigers club and send the balmain tigers half to Brisbane to become the Brisbane Tigers or the east Brisbane tigers while keeping the west magpies in the western Sydney region at either Campbeltown or Liverpool as the western magpies.

or they could just relocate the west tigers to Perth .

id also consider moving the sharks out of Sydney as well and the dragons to Wollongong full-time.

[Havenlad80]

5 hours ago, DlEHARD said:

It's wonderful that we are headed to a 20 team comp.

I don't know how you fit in PNG, Perth, NZ2 and Brisbane South/Logan/Ipswich/Toowoomba into 2o though.

Simple, you just expand to Perth, Brisbane and NZ2.

PNG is a pipe dream while the western corridor doesn’t have a stadium.

[Sports Prophet]

11 hours ago, Havenlad80 said:

Or relocate 1 or 2 Sydney clubs. The NRL should seriously consider either breaking up the basket case merged west tigers club and send the balmain tigers half to Brisbane to become the Brisbane Tigers or the east Brisbane tigers while keeping the west magpies in the western Sydney region at either Campbeltown or Liverpool as the western magpies.

or they could just relocate the west tigers to Perth .

id also consider moving the sharks out of Sydney as well and the dragons to Wollongong full-time.

After forcefully sending Balmain/Wests to Brisbane or Perth, what should the NRL do with the $78m centre of excellence?

https://amp.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/the-best-league-facility-on-the-planet-inside-the-wests-tigers-new-78m-home-20220813-p5b9n3.html