Papua New Guinea can complete their meteoric rise over the past decade by clinching promotion in the Pacific Championships next month, on the eve of their expected inclusion in the NRL.
PNG are on the cusp of officially being announced as the NRL’s next expansion club and the Australian government has been heavily involved in the process.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed as much as $600 million over a decade for a PNG side as he looks to strengthen ties with the rugby league-obsessed nation due to China’s growing influence in the region.
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NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said the Prime Minister’s XIII game in Port Moresby last weekend was just the start of things to come in PNG.
“We want more and more content here (in PNG),” Abdo said at the game in Port Moresby.
“So we’ll be bringing, and thinking about, more and more games – international games, Test matches and potentially an NRL and NRLW game for sure.”
Before the introduction of the PNG Hunters in the Queensland Cup in 2014, PNG had back-to-back winless World Cup campaigns in 2008 and 2013.
But since the Hunters formation, PNG have jumped 10 places in the world rankings to now sit No. 7 thanks to consecutive quarter-final appearances in the last two World Cups and they also won last year’s Pacific Bowl.
If PNG defend their title they’ll then play-off against the third placed team in the Pacific Cup on November 10 for a place in the Pacific Championships top tier next year.
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Despite the success, there are concerns over PNG’s pathways program and Port Moresby-based NRL side’s ability to recruit players.
However, their emerging talent was on display in a strong showing by the PNG Schoolboys against the Australian Schoolboys last weekend.
The Kumuls dominated the majority of the game, before a late fadeout saw Australia come back and the match finished in a 22-22 draw.
The schoolboy side was put together following the introduction of an expansive academy program in PNG in preparation for NRL expansion.
The program already has 720 players aged between 15 and 19, participating in both men’s and women’s programs. The initiative has also encouraged and promoted school attendance, which is a significant problem in PNG.
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“To be in our pathways program you must be a school student,” PNG’s bid boss Andrew Hill said.
“While that might be a little unfair to an 18- or 19-year-old who may not be in school, it’s to reinforce the importance that education is vital for the future of PNG.”
NRL great and Australian Prime Minister’s XIII coach Brad Fittler has thrown his support behind the bid.
“Success always seems to work when you get the system right, especially when dealing with new teams,” Fittler said.
No matter the result of the Pacific Championship, the rugby league world will be watching Papua New Guinea’s performance with interest.
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