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PNG on a 10-year journey to transform the NRL
Jasper Bruce, AAP • December 13th, 2024 8:00 am
Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
Two years of planning, $600 million of Australian taxpayer funding and the hopes of 12 million people have combined to turn Papua New Guinea's NRL dream into a reality.
But for those closest to the bid, none of these appears to be the magic number. The more important figure? It is 10 - 10 years, in fact.
Officially announced on Thursday, a 10-year agreement between the NRL and Australian and PNG governments paved the way for the creation of a Port Moresby-based franchise that will enter the league in 2028.
Australia PM Anthony Albanese says Papua New Guinea's NRL team will have millions of fans from day one
By the time that agreement expires at the end of 2034, the NRL will have exhausted the only funding the Australian government is willing to stump up for the team, which by then must be financially viable to survive.
The first 10 years are obviously crucial, then, and contain the high expectations of everyone close to the bid.
All are confident that in 10 years' time, the PNG team will not just be competitive, but will have transformed the NRL as we know it.
"In 10 years, you'll have rugby league be one of the most watched sports in the world because of the population between Australia and Papua New Guinea," said Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V'landys.
"This is one of the greatest days for rugby league in a very long time because all of a sudden you may have increased your supporter base 10-fold, and that's what's going to happen.
Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP
"For the game, success will be that we'll increase our (the NRL's) revenue by double in 10 years, but more importantly we'll have more fans than any sport in Australia."
The 10-year window is also front of mind for Andrew Hill, chief executive of the PNG team's bid for inclusion in the NRL.
For former Canterbury boss Hill, the 10 years will provide enough time for PNG to build a league-leading pathways system that taps into the nation's vast pool of local talent.
He hopes that, in time, rival clubs' rosters will have been reshaped to include PNG-born superstars.
"There are hundreds of (professional players) Justin Olams and Elsie Alberts in PNG, they've just never been given the opportunity to put themselves in a position where they can become professional, elite athletes," Hill said.
"Success (in 10 years) could look like, 'We can't accommodate every player we develop and then the other 17 clubs will have more Papua New Guineans playing for them as well'. That would be the ultimate success."
The passion for rugby league continues to grow in Papua New Guinea
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was confident the $250 million his government has allocated to grassroots development and elite pathways would help turn PNG into a rugby league behemoth.
"This is the greatest rugby league pipeline on earth, bar none," he said.
"If you look at the amount of Samoan and Tongan players playing in the NRL, compared to PNG, PNG is under-represented. That is due to economic development issues and opportunity.
"Once you bring in that economic development, junior pathways and opportunity, I have no doubt that PNG within a very short few years ... they will be a powerhouse in the NRL with homegrown players, I have no doubt."
Many unanswered questions remain amid the optimism.
Will the Coalition pull funding and doom the team if it wins next year's Australian election? Will tax incentives be enough to entice active NRL stars to move to Port Moresby? What will the team even be called?
The greatest of all unanswered propositions: Will the PNG team be a success? Only time will tell - 10 years of time, to be precise.
