PNG Chiefs CEO Lorna McPherson is leading Papua New Guinea’s push towards an NRL debut in 2028 – and she believes the nation’s extraordinary passion for rugby league will be the foundation of its success.

Lanarkshire in Scotland’s Central Lowlands is a long way removed from the tropical heat and intense passion for rugby league that represents life in Papua New Guinea, but recently appointed PNG Chiefs CEO Lorna McPherson says she couldn’t be happier about where she landed 16 years ago.

The former Digicel telecommunications executive has been entrusted with pushing the fledgling club into the bright lights of the NRL in 2028 and she is confident of success despite some much-reported challenges.

“I came to Papua New Guinea to work for Digicel. I kind of fell in love with the people and the culture. I thought it was really unique and especially being Scottish too. We’re very proud of our heritage. It gave me that feeling of being part of something.

“It really intrigued me how passionate they were for rugby league. Digicel didn’t sponsor rugby league at that point in time. I kept saying to my boss it’s the number one sport in Papua New Guinea and we really need to be part of it.

“So we decided to go ahead and start to look at sponsoring. I also knew that being part of governance and community development had to go with the sponsorship.

“It wasn’t just pay your money and then you abandon ship.

“That became part of my journey as well. For me you can’t live in Papua New Guinea and not feel that the game is kind of like your heartbeat.”

McPherson brushes off any concerns about there being a ‘boys club’ or the lack of female executives in NRL clubs – an issue mentioned by former Wests Tigers chair Marina Go a number of years ago.

“I was in telecommunications which is a very male-dominated environment. So really my whole life I’ve been in male-dominated environments, both here in Papua New Guinea and when I’ve been abroad as well.

“So you look at years gone by and the glass ceiling effect and even now there’s not enough women in boardrooms. For me it’s about how good you are. Are you competent to do the job? Are you consistent when you do your job?

“I really don’t care about a boys club, and I’m not here to fit into one either. I want to make Papua New Guinea Chiefs a really high-performing organisation. So it’s about me being focused more on the results rather than the fact that I’m a female.”

Media and fans have raised doubts about the Chiefs’ ability to attract quality players, with concerns around security and quality of lifestyle in Port Moresby. As someone who made the move 16 years ago, McPherson believes she has a good understanding of the situation and says the perception of Port Moresby differs from reality once the effort is made to experience the Pacific nation with an open mind.

“When we’ve had people here they’ve been surprised and actually changed their minds about Papua New Guinea. I have been here 16 years and I don’t have anyone following me for security or anything like that.

“I’m not saying it’s not a challenge, but it’s about how you approach it and it’s about making sure you create that safe, really supportive and family-friendly environment.

“I’m really big on welfare and having somebody make sure that everybody’s okay.”

The Chiefs will look to attract marquee players to ensure the club is competitive from the start. However, McPherson believes that with the right development local talent will be the backbone of the Chiefs team into the future, both on and off the field.

“I think Papua New Guinea has the most extraordinary talent you could ever possibly imagine. It’s about how we get the pathways right that bring the local players into the elite system as well.

“There’s no point in having a PNG NRL team without really reflecting PNG, because that’s who we are. That’s our identity.

“Is it going to happen overnight that everybody’s going to be from PNG? No it’s not. But the whole key is eventually to have many Papua New Guineans in the team.

“It’s important for our administration team as well. It’s about taking local talent and really getting them to elite status in sports administration because it’s new at that level to Papua New Guinea.

“You’ve got to walk and do things right at the right time and get the right skill sets.”

Success for McPherson and the PNG Chiefs is as much about creating a legacy as it is about making finals and the CEO is determined to achieve both for her adopted nation.

“It’s about being really competitive on the field, but it’s also about the impact that we will have in the communities.

“If we don’t inspire young people the Chiefs have failed and I have failed as a CEO.

“It’s about building an institution that’s going to last for generations. Sometimes when you plant a tree, you never survive long enough to actually sit underneath your tree because it takes that many years to sprout.

“I am not in it to get the wooden spoon though, believe me. I want to have a great game and have an amazing team.”

“Everybody speaks different languages here – there are an estimated 850 languages spoken in PNG – but when it comes to rugby league the way that they feel and the time that they put into it is so powerful.

“The Brisbane Broncos came here to watch one of the games in 2025. They came out from one of the corporate boxes and everybody was watching the footy at the time, it was a really intense game.

“The whole stadium stood up, turned around, looked at them and then cheered. I have never seen anything like it. I can’t even describe it. It was just phenomenal.”

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 519 (April 2026)